Valongo Municipality and REN create organic vegetable garden to provide benefits to over 170 families in Ermesinde

More than 170 families, schools and associations will soon be able to produce and consume organic vegetables in the Organic Garden of Palmilheira, in Ermesinde. The construction, which started today by the Municipality of Valongo on land provided by REN, will also have ponds, insect hotels, aromatic plants and nests, among other initiatives aiming to promote biodiversity and urban agriculture.

The plots, 15 of which are for people with reduced mobility, occupy 11,000 square metres of land and will now be requalified, under a project whose main guidelines are the promotion of environmental sustainability, the strengthening of social inclusion and support for local communities.

'In good time, REN was sensitive to our appeal and gave us this land to implement what will be the largest organic vegetable garden in the municipality of Valongo and the second largest in the area of LIPOR (Intermunicipal Waste Management Service of Greater Porto). Since opening the Ponte da Presa Organic Garden in 2014, we have been investing in this kind of green infrastructure for its undeniable benefits for the community, including the promotion of physical and mental health', said José Manuel Ribeiro, Mayor of Valongo, on the sidelines of the contract signing ceremony, which took place today, at the location where the new organic gardens will be installed, within the scope of LIPOR's 'Horta à Porta' (Garden at the Door) project. According to the mayor, 'more than 170 families, schools and associations will compost biodegradable waste, harvest and consume organic vegetables and enjoy all the benefits of outdoor life, in Ermesinde', he also stressed.

In addition to 172 plots and six shelters for agricultural tools, the Organic Garden of Palmilheira project includes four small pedestrian walkways over the water line that crosses the land; one waterhole to promote biodiversity; nesting houses; an insect hotel; hedges and aromatic plants with pleasant smells; decorative elements and urban furniture that considers the principles of circular economy. 

The contract value is 106,792.25 euros + VAT, and its execution time is 63 days. 

People interested in having a plot in the Organic Garden of Palmilheira can now register through LIPOR's website ('Horta à Porta' project).

This initiative is part of the project 'Horta à Porta - Hortas Biológicas da Região do Porto', by LIPOR, which promotes the construction of community vegetable gardens in eight municipalities of Greater Porto (Espinho, Gondomar, Porto, Póvoa de Varzim, Vila do Conde, Valongo, Maia and Matosinhos). 
 
The video with the project's virtual images can be viewed through the link: https://youtu.be/iOHJP2Z068E