Nature Gift cranberry farm 31 miles north of Riga is established on a pristine peat bog. Andris Špats, who founded and runs the farm, explains that the protection provided by the pine and birch trees in the alley shaped cranberry system mitigates spring frosts, which otherwise risk damaging the flower buds. The trees also contribute to cooler surface and air temperatures during the hot season: the berries need cool summers and cold winters in wetlands with acidic and nutrient-poor soil, in order to absorb important nutrients and develop flavour and colour.
Latvia boasts a diverse range of peatlands, including fens, transition mires and bogs, covering about 10% of the country’s territory. A considerable part of these peatlands are influenced by human activities, such as peat extraction, forest planting and land reclamation, requiring drainage that affects the hydrological regime and leads to habitat loss, as pristine bogs and wetlands are critical habitat for many species and one of Latvia’s natural treasures.
The Baltic countries have a long history of peat extraction and large areas have been exploited, mostly during and after the Soviet era 1940-1991. Many of these peat extraction fields have since then been drained and converted to agricultural land.
In the 1980s, commercial cranberry cultivation on former peatlands became popular in Latvia, and have since been advocated as an alternative restoration strategy, especially when the possibility of hydrological restoration is considered difficult, due to surrounding cover ditched and drained agricultural land, or when it is considered to be too expensive.
While some traditional cranberry farming practices involve flooding for harvesting, Latvian cranberry cultivation often does not, and drainage systems designed to ensure an average groundwater level of 0.5 meters, preventing waterlogging and root rot, are required. Irrigation systems are often used to supplement rainfall, for adequate moisture.
Wetlands are crucial to combat flash flooding, acting like a sponge, absorbing the excess of water after storms and releasing it more slowly. With the ongoing changes in precipitation patterns, the importance of this service will increase.
Even though cranberry plantations provide ecosystem services, such as storage and regulation of water and nutrients, and creating habitat for birds, insects and amphibians, the value of these services is lower than in natural wetlands.
Can a berry plantation protected by tree lines be considered agroforestry? The Latvians suggest it could. It certainly seems to be a huge industry in Latvia. At our visit, bare, black soil stretched all the way beyond the Nature Gift scenery to the horizon, while the heavy machinery of another cranberry enterprise was preparing for new plantations.
With the exception of Andris Špats, a female workforce was engaged in the processing and storage of the berries, while Andris, showing us around, noted that “women are not mentally equipped to understand the complex processes that the berries undergo”, which made us hesitant to include this system in the reporting.
Several LIFE projects focus on restoring and protecting priority bog habitats, including hydrological restoration and management. About 12% of Latvia’s mires are now part of protected areas, under state protection.
Sustainable and responsible after-use of peat extraction areas (2019)
Greenhouse Gas Fluxes from Cranberry and Highbush Blueberry Plantations on Former Peat Extraction Fields Compared to Active Peat Extraction Fields and Pristine Peatlands in Latvia. (2024)