Jerusalem artichoke is suitable for use in biorefineries due to the very high biomass production and low soil, climate and cultivation requirements. Tubers of this species can be used for the production of methane fermentation or bioethanol. The aboveground part can be used for the production of biomethane, as well as in the direct combustion process or for the production of briquettes and pellets. Of the cultivars tested, Albik and Violet de Rennes proved to be the most useful for energy purposes. An important advantage of Jerusalem artichoke is its resistance to adverse climatic conditions (drought, frost), resistance to diseases and pests and the possibility of self-renewal.

To clarify the opinion of Latvian private forest owners on the use of EU funding in forest management, a survey of forest owners (Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies grant project No. Z7 funding) was conducted in November 2018 by the staff members of the Forest Advisory Service Centre (FASC) which is a branch of the Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre. A total of 153 forest owners have been included in the survey, of whom 107 (70%) forest owners have previously used EU funding support in forest management, and 46 forest owners (30%) who have not used this opportunity. The respondents included in the survey represent forest owners from all regions of Latvia. The survey included general questions describing the profile of the forest owner, such as the size of the owned forest area, for how long the forest has been the owner’s property, knowledge of forest management and the way of receiving information. Regarding the attracting of EU funding, the forest owner's view of the already used EU support and its type was clarified and the overall level of satisfaction, the necessary improvements, and the type of EU support needed for further forest management were identified. The study also includes the results of other similar surveys carried out by other institutions on forest owners’ opinions on EU support for forestry. The results of the survey conducted by FASC confirm that 76% of forest owners who have already used some measures of the EU's financial support at least once are ready to take advantage of the opportunity to apply for the support also in the future. The forest owners, who have not used EU financial support for forest management so far, continue to express sceptical opinions, and only 46% of such respondents would be willing to apply for further EU support funding. When comparing the priority support directions specified by forest owners, it can be concluded that the trends in the need for subsidies are fairly similar, 80% of owners who have previously used the financial EU support, point out that support for young stand and advanced growth thinning is still needed in the future. The same opinion has been expressed by 70% of forest owners who have not previously used the EU funding. In a series of studies, a general trend for priority of most desirable EU subsidies have been identified and it was revealed that 61% of forest owners want to receive support for young stand and advanced growth thinning. Half of this percentage of respondents have pointed out the need for EU subsidies for forest amelioration and road construction (32%), forest establishment (31%), forest regeneration (30%) and for compensations of the protection of natural values and for it management  (29%).

In traditional farming, plants require a lot of space (growing area), they consume a large amount of water, absorb a small percentage of nutrients in soil and are completely dependent on meteorological conditions. Therefore, growing crops in this way entails high costs and a high risk of invested funds. One of the measures to reduce these factors is the use of hydroponics.In the study six types of hydroponic systems (HS) plant constructions based on plant nutrient supply technology were reviewed: ebb and flow HS; nutrient film technique (NFT) HS; aeroponics; deep water culture HS; “wick” HS and drip-irrigation HS. In addition, a review of the structural design of the hydroponic systems identified their advantages and disadvantages in green fodder production.The most promising technology for the cultivation of green fodder is the NFT HS. This cultivation technology is appreciated in feed production for its highly utilized growing room volume and closed-loop irrigation solution to plants, which allows it to be easily automated based on solution parameters. Seven farms already have this technology in place in Lithuania. In order to optimize hydroponic fodder cultivation technology, it is expedient to improve NFT equipment and process control systems.

The article is devoted to the problem of gender inequality on rural areas and argued the necessity of forming gender sensitive rural development policy. Based on existing theories of institutionalism, the authors characterized gender as a social institute, forming the structure of rural society. The importance of gender equality for progressive rural growth of rural areas, effective use of women’s human capital in development of rural communities is underlined. Methodological frameworks of research are formed on the basis of rural development, gender economy and institutional theories. Adopted methodological approach of United Nations Development Program to gender inequality index calculation is used for integrated evaluation the gender inequality in reproductive health, political empowerment, and economic activity on labor market in rural areas. Research results indicate permanent character of the gender inequality problem in rural society and it dependence from situation in rural economy system. Gender asymmetries in economic activity and educational attainment of rural population, it participation in political initiatives and decision-making, demographic processes caused the regional differentiation of gender inequality problem. Indicated gender problems are characterized as the challenges for growth of rural areas and should be taken into account in the process of forming rural development policy, transforming it from gender neutral to gender sensitive. Key points of such a policy are implementation of the gender mainstreaming concept in rural development policy; forming an inclusive model of rural economy development and social cohesion; diversification of rural labor market; stimulating transfer of knowledge and innovation.

Carbon sequestration is crucial to mitigate climate changes, therefore it is important to have accurate estimates of carbon pools in the forest. So far, data on carbon pools in old-growth forests are very scarce, therefore aim of the study was to assess the carbon pools in old-growth Scots pine stands on organic soil and carbon concentration in deadwood of different decay classes in Latvia. Carbon content in deadwood was test in samples, collected in 26 randomly selected over mature, unmanaged stands across Latvia (five samples per decay class and tree species). Carbon pools were assessed in 38 sample plots (size 500 m2) in five Scots pine stands on wet organic soil (Caricoso- phragmitosa forest type) at the age of 167 to 203 years. Mean carbon concentration in deadwood across all species and decay classes was 46.6±1.57%. For aspen it did not change with progressing decay was found, but increase was observed for Scots pine, Norway spruce and birch. For these species difference in concentration between first three (more fresh) and last two decay classes (mean 45.9±0.9% and 49.9±1.6%, respectively) was statistically significant. Old-growth Scots pine stands on peat soils had rather large amount of deadwood: 100.6 ± 74.7 m3ha-1. However, its share in total carbon storage (290.0 ± 57.9 t ha-1) was small and most of carbon (57%) was found in soil. Mean annual carbon storage in tree biomass and deadwood decreased with stand age; its absolute value was similar in over-mature and mature (101-120 years) stands.

In the last decade we can observe changes in the fashion industry due to the rising demand of textile and clothing products in Europe. We investigate its sustainability implications by re-calculating carbon emissions and addressing each countries responsibility rather than current traditional way of calculating CO2 emissions. A multi-regional input-output model is built to calculate carbon emissions embodied in trade in EU textile and clothing industry from 2000 to 2016. World Input-Output Database and other databases are used for the recounting of CO2 emissions embodied in EU textile and clothing international trade. The results show that 1) Germany and United Kingdom were biggest EU CO2 emission importers in 2000 and 2016 what makes them biggest contributors to global CO2 pollution in textile and clothing industry in Europe. 2) India and China has big direct emission coefficients and perform under low energy efficiency levels compared to Turkey 3) Higher direct carbon emission coefficient result in a higher CO2 imports. 4) Increasing textile and clothing products imports result in higher CO2 emission imports. Therefore in order to reduce carbon emissions producing countries should invest in “low-carbon” industries and might regulate textile and clothing products imports.

Today, economic conditions in the market encourage farmers to look for ways to produce quality produce at a low cost without polluting the environment. This leads to the search for new technologies that make it possible to strike a balance between criteria such as animal welfare, environmental protection and the cost of production. The research carried out reveals a new approach to housing conditions, constructional and technological solutions. Cowshed ground and the surrounding soil temperature fluctuations have a seasonal nature, as the Lithuanian climate is characterized by temperature change in individual seasons. The cowshed experimental studies show that a significant influence on the ground soil temperature field has the animal radiant heat that transmits not only in the air but also on the ground soil through the floor. The highest temperature of the analyzed soil during the cold season is under the floor of the bearing housing. The temperature relationship of the floor of the bearing housing and the ground soil is especially evident in the coldest winter period. The cowshed floor and surrounding soil temperature measurements showed that the soil temperature field is in a constant dynamic state. The heat transfer, occurring between the outside of the building and the soil under the building as well as at the floor installed over them, is influenced by the external temperature regime.

The research paper discusses the growing importance of rural tourism and community based development as a means of sustainable regional development. Growing number of international visitors in Georgia, as well as high agriculture dependence of local population, requires the Government to have a clear long-term strategic vision for tourism and rural development policies. Understanding of the local community role in the sustainable tourism development will enhance the decentralization processes. Experience of developed countries like Italy and German, Check republic, New Zealand, etc. shows that in the wake of the emergence of rural tourism, many countries changed and harmonized policies that reflected modification in national regulations and development strategies. The Georgia’s favorable climate and soil have historically shaped agriculture one of its most productive economic sectors. Nevertheless, nowadays the sector does not provide favorable economic benefits to the local population. As a promising component, research paper identifies rural tourism as a central stimulator for agriculture sector adding strength to a traditional poor rural economy. Analysis of various existing policy initiatives in Georgia shows urgent need for harmonization of policy documents and local community involvement.

This article reports on the evaluation of the wellbeing of rural people in Lithuania. Literature analysis and empirical findings suggest that research on wellbeing has received scant attention, especially at the local level in Lithuania. Although, to date, some research has been carried out on other specific factors of wellbeing such as belonging to a particular social group, wellbeing in the city, or wellbeing related to job environment, etc., far too little attention has been paid to socio-demographic variables. These limitations call for a more comprehensive discussion and analysis of the situation of a wellbeing and its tendencies in rural areas. The aim of this research is to evaluate the relationship between wellbeing and socio-demographic characteristics of residents of rural areas in Lithuania. Statistical calculations evaluating the wellbeing of rural people were made by using data from the last Round 8 of the European Social Survey. The findings show that the wellbeing of rural people is related to socio- demographic characteristics. People living in big cities of Lithuania rate their happiness higher than those living in towns or small cities and rural areas; residents of rural areas of Lithuania who live with children are happier and more satisfied with life than those living without children at household grid; weak and negative, but statistically significant, correlations between happiness and age, and satisfaction with life and age were observed; younger residents in rural areas of Lithuania are happier and more satisfied with life in comparison to older ones; the longer people study, the happier and more satisfied with life they are; divorced are less happy and satisfied with life than those who have never been married as well as those who are legally married or are widows/widowers; people who study are happier and more satisfied with life than those who work, are unemployed or retired. Key words: Wellbeing, rural areas, happiness, satisfaction with life, European social survey.

Sewage sludge is a rest product deriving from the wastewater treatment plants. It is rich in nutrients and essential elements. Therefore sludge on-land utilisation can create an added value by recovering energy from biomass produced on marginal lands. However, widespread on-land recycling of sewage sludge might be limited due to high heavy metal content. Health organisations show an increasing concern about the risks posed to the environment and human health as many countries worldwide already are facing the heavy metal contamination problem. In the scientific literature it can be found, that high total heavy metal content is not directly related to an intensive metal uptake by plants. In this study samples were collected from three woody plant species (black locust, silver birch and aspen) growing directly on the sewage sludge in a storage site near Kaunas, Lithuania. Heavy metal content was detected separately in the leaves, stems and roots. It was determined that nearly all analysed heavy metals (lead, chromium, nickel, copper and zinc) were accumulated within normal range despite high total concentrations in the growing media, and only cadmium was accumulated at elevated concentration. Based on bioaccumulation factor, aspen could be considered as a Cd-accumulator and used for phytoremediation purposes.