2008

ANDRIS BALODIS HAS BECOME THE MEMBER OF THE ROYAL SWEDISH ACADEMY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY

Andris Balodis, the director of the structural unit of the State Stock Company “Latvia’s State Forests” “LVM Roundwood Deliveries”, has become the foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry (Kungl. Skogs- och Lantbruksakademien) to work in the Forestry Section.

This Academy is not a classical institution of education; it unites people with diverse knowledge. At present it has approximately 500 members, of whom 380 are Swedish citizens, but 120 - foreign citizens, and the Academy has 15 permanent members of the staff. People younger than 65 can become members of the Academy, but the number of places is limited in accordance with the Statutes. The admission of new members is reviewed each year, taking into account the number of vacant places, as well as what kind of competencies and knowledge is lacking at the moment and which could be obtained by admitting new members.

The Royal Academy of Agriculture was initiated in 1811 by Swedish Crown Prince- later King Karl XIV Johan. The Academy was fully established on January 28, 1813, which is considered to be its foundation date. At the beginning the Academy was dealing only with issues of agriculture, but in time, with the growing economic importance of forestry as a sector, in 1956 the word “Forestry” was added to the title of the Academy.