ABSTRACT
Latvia's countryside is no exception, showing all the typical hallmarks of declining agricultural production, a scattered enterprise structure, and increasing unemployment and poverty. Studies also point to infrastructure problems, long distances, lack of business skills, low population density, the ageing of the rural population and the weakness of non-governmental organizations. There are few theoretical and empirical studies that indicate any positive development in the Latvian countryside, especially in terms of the stimulating influence that rural ideas and policies can have on overall economic development and social cohesion. During the 1990s agricultural policy in Latvia has been predominantly influenced by a neo-liberal discourse that associates development with free market forces and with a decreasing role of the state. The relationship between agricultural and rural development policies has been a disputed issue in Latvia. The contradiction between rural development and agricultural policies reflects the contradiction between weak and strong rural actors.
