Lisbon, Lisboa (FUA), Portugal
City population: 2679729
Duration: 2011 – 2011
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Project area: 8400 m2
Type of area: Natural Heritage Area/Untouched nature, Public Greenspace Area
Last updated: October 2021

In 2007 the Lisboa City Hall began the development of a strategy for urban agriculture, having created in 2011 several allotment parks. Beyond the provision of plots, the Council also provided the fences, shelters for storage, water irrigation, training and technical support. In 2011 there were already 56 plots of 150 m2 at a location named Granja Farm (2)

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Community gardens and allotments
  • Allotments
  • Community gardens

Key challenges

  • Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
  • Climate change adaptation
  • Water management (SDG 6)
  • Flood protection
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Environmental quality
  • Air quality improvement
  • Soil quality improvement
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Environmental education
  • Social interaction
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Enabling opportunities for physical activity
  • Creation of opportunities for recreation
  • Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
  • Sustainable consumption
  • Sustainable production

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Knowledge creation and awareness raising

Project objectives

1. Allow the development of environmental awareness by learning and applying good agricultural practices. 2. Improve social interaction among users of the garden (mutual help and sharing of knowledge reinforce social relations between users). 3. Promote the ecological balance of the territory, when, as is the case, good agricultural practices are applied. 4. Help to maintain humidity, lower the temperature and release of oxygen, easing the environmental impact from demographic excessive pressure. (2) 5. The vegetable gardens encourage recreation and a healthy lifestyle, outdoors, assuming itself as an alternative of occupying leisure time and an opportunity for the young to acquire new skills. (2)

Implementation activities

In addition to the plots, associated infrastructures (paths, fences, access gates, shelters for the storage of agricultural tools, irrigation system), horticulture training (in organic production mode) and permanent technical support were provided. The gardens are inserted in urban parks and Gardens, where other aspects coexist, such as lawn/stay areas, playgrounds, kiosks-cafeteria, sports equipment, cycle paths, among others, so they can and should be visited by everyone. (2)

Climate-focused activities

Climate change adaptation:

  • Increase or improve urban vegetation cover to help reduce outdoor temperature

Main beneficiaries

  • Local government/Municipality
  • Citizens or community groups
  • Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
  • Young people and children

Governance

Management set-up

  • Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
  • Crowd-sourcing/Crowd-funding/Participatory budget

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

The Council of Lisbon provides the plots, the fences, shelters for storage, water irrigation, training and technical support. The plots are awarded by public tender. For the plots, about a thousand applications were submitted, which reflects the huge demand for urban spaces for production by the citizens. (2)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Yes (The Lisbon strategy, to build a green structure based on the idea of generation systems and multifunctional uses: Lisboa New Master Plan (1))

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

  • Public local authority budget

Type of funding

  • Unknown

Non-financial contribution

Type of non-financial contribution
  • Provision of land
  • Provision of goods
  • Provision of labour
  • Provision of expertise
  • Other
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
  • Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
  • Citizens (e.g. volunteering)

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Environmental quality
  • Improved soil quality
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area

Economic impacts

  • Unknown

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved access to urban green space
  • Increased access to healthy/affordable food
  • Education
  • Increased knowledge of locals about local nature

Type of reported impacts

Expected impacts, Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Yes

Presence of indicators used in reporting

Yes

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

Yes

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

References

(1) ConnectingNature (no date), Lisbon: Nature-based Solutions (NBS) Enhancing Resilience through Urban Regeneration, Available at Source link (Accessed 21-6-2020).
(2) Sítio da Câmara Municipal de Lisboa: Municipal Horticulture Parks , Available at Source link , (Accessed 26-7-2020)
(3) Mata, D. (2014) Lisbon´s Green Plan Actions: Towards a Green City. Abstract of the presentation on ‘Cost Action 1201 ‘Urban Allotment Gardens in European Cities - Future, Challenges and Lessons Learned’ at LNEC – 20th March 2014. Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, Portugal. Available at: Source link 21-6-2020)
(4) Cost. Eu (no date), Urban Allotment Gardens, Available at: Source link (Accessed 21-6-2020).
(5) Leitao, T., Henriques, M., Cameira, M. Morato, M., Rodrigo, I., Martins, M., Costa, H., Pacheco, J. (2016).AVALIAÇÃO DA QUALIDADE DOS SOLOS, DAS ÁGUAS SUBTERRÂNEAS E DAS ESPÉCIES HORTÍCOLAS EM HORTAS URBANAS DE LISBOA: Identificação de medidas de mitigação visando a proteção da saúde pública Relatório final. Available at:Source link (Accessed 21-6-2020)

6 Madeira da Silva, T., Monte, M., (2014), Hortas Urbanas em Lisboa: da Importância Histórica ao Processo de Formalização Actual, Available at Source link, (Accessed 26-7-2020)