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Western Estonia – Pärnu, Lääne, Saare and Hiiu Counties
Estonia is a compact Nordic country benefiting from a pristine natural environment. Raw material inputs are of high-quality, often organic, and sourced from clearly identifiable local origins. With an established export capability and growing application of food science and technology innovation, Estonia is the ideal location for developing bio-economy.
Estonia has a lot of untouched nature and low population density. This is very rare in today’s world. We know how to care for our environment, and we are proud of it:
+ 51% of Estonian territory is forestland,
+ 22% of our farmland is organic,
+ 23% of our country is wildlife preserves.
Western Estonia includes four distinctive counties: Pärnu and Lääne on the mainland, and island counties Saare and Hiiu. The total area of this region is around 11,200 sq km and the population in 2020 was around 149,000.
Economic activity has been successful in conventional fields – forestry, wood processing, agriculture, (eco)food industry and tourism having greatly influenced the region’s economic profile. West-Estonia has a remarkable bio-economy potential and many business opportunities for internationalisation and technology development. Several local agricultural undertakings are also among the most profitable ones in Estonia. Most farming enterprises are mixed farms with combinations of arable crops and animal husbandry (mostly cattle for meat production), or focus only on crops.
Recreation services and the tourism economy have long traditions and the region´s image as a rehabilitation area dates back to the middle of the 19th century. New blue economy (sustainable use of the marine environment) perspectives are small craft construction, aquaculture and offshore energy.
Currently, Pärnu County has the largest share of organic farmland in Estonia and the whole region of Western Estonia is trailblazer in that respect.
https://balticbiomass4value.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/3_Argo_Peepson_Estonia.pdf