1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Sintra
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Hortas solidarias
Short description of the intervention
In 2017, the municipality of Sintra approved the municipal Solidarity Gardens Program, which aims at enabling the inhabitants of Sintra to "value solidarity and, in some way, value natural resources" (ref.4).
This intervention aims to create small gardens in urban areas. Not only as a tool for subsistence for families in situations of social vulnerability but also to generate access to areas that tend to deteriorate, through correct management and profitability of resources. Eventually, the NBS aims to promote actions for the implementation of sustainable urban development, focused on strengthening family and local agriculture (1)
Address

Sintra
Portugal

Location
The NBS is a city-wide initiative, the GIS point marks the centre of the city
Total area
15000.00m²
NBS area
15000.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Residential
Website of the intervention
http://www.cm-sintra.pt/hortas-solidarias
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
unknown
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2017
End date of the intervention
ongoing
Present stage of the intervention
Ongoing
Goals of the intervention
The goals of the intervention appear on article 3 of the municipal regulation of the community gardens (3):
A) Provide the Municipality of Sintra with community equipment that will enable its inhabitants the spirit of solidarity and to underpin the value of natural resources for sustainable development;
B) Provide free of charge to those who do not have their own the cultivation, a parcel of municipal land for cultivation, called an agricultural plot, in a Resource Sharing Unit, in one of the Municipal Solidarity Sintra, under the terms and conditions of this Regulation;
C) Promote social insertion and inclusion and contribute to the reduction of poverty among families,
Through the cultivation of the soils to support their subsistence;
The program also aims to "combat social exclusion" and "reduce poverty".(ref.4)
Quantitative targets
Establish 157 plots, with about 30 to 100 square meters each (In this first phase)
Serve about 130,000 people from 3 parishes
(ref.4)
Monitoring indicators defined
Number of plots to be offered;
Number of people to serve;
area to covered with plots (4).
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Social justice and equity
Social cohesion
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
Implementation activities
Traning: To promote a culture and, consequently, a healthier diet, the Chamber of Sintra imposes a condition for horticulturalists: "is that, when selected, they attend a course of organic farming" (ref.4)
Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
Knowledge creation and awareness raising
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Community gardens and allotments
Allotments
Community gardens
Please specify the number of plots or allotment gardens
157 plots
Vegetation Type
Garden beds
Amenities offered by the NBS
Unknown
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Provisioning services
Food for human consumption (crops, vegetables)
Raw materials
Cultural services
Recreation
Mental and physical health and wellbeing
Intellectual interactions (scientific and / or educational)
Social and community interactions
Other
Please specify "other cultural service"
Promote social insertion and inclusion - enable its inhabitants the spirit of solidarity
Scale
Spatial scale
Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Citizens or community groups
Marginalized groups
Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
Marginalized groups
Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed)
Governance
Governance arrangements
Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Non-government actors
Citizens or community groups
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
According to the main page of the intervention (1) it is stimated that in the next months a public contest will take place to adjudicate 157 agricultural fields.
Key actors - initiating organization
Local government/municipality
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Local government/municipality
Citizens or community group
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Co-management/Joint management
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Yes
Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan"
Regulation of Community Gardens of Sintra, approved by the Municipal on December 20, 2012 (2) Resolved by the chamber meeting of December 01, 2015, Approved in municipal assembly of Sintra of February, 2016.
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Mandatory (based on policy)
Intervention is mandatory
Spatial planning law
Other
Please specify other type of mandatory intervention
Regulation of Community Gardens of Sintra (3)
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
The Lisbon municipality has signed a protocol with the Higher Institute of Agronomy and the National Civil Engineering Laboratory (LNEC) to "develop a study on contamination of soil and groundwater by heavy metals" which, according to the project coordinator, Obtained "excellent results".
 
The study concluded that "although the concentrations of the various elements analyzed in soils and waters have exceeded the recommended values in some places, (...) the quality of vegetables has rarely been contaminated", reads the document available on the LNEC. (ref.4)
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Co-finance for NBS
Unknown
Co-financing governance arrangements
Unknown
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
Unknown
What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?
Unknown
What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?
Unknown
Please specify cost savings
Unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
Public local authority budget
Type of fund(s) used
Unknown
Non-financial contribution
Yes
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)
Business models
Green densification model
Local stewardship model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Public actor (e.g. municipality)
Citizens / local communities
Type of innovation
Social
Governance innovation
Please specify social innovation
The intervention was possible according to the collaboration between the local government and the citizens, by creating a public contest to allow citizens to manage horticultural gardens, Which aims to allow the inhabitants "to value solidarity and, in some way, to value natural resources" (ref.4)
Novelty level of the innovation
The innovation is copied/derived from previous initiative(s) with substantial adaptation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
Different horticultural gardens and parks have been produced also in Lisbon, but none of those with a target for the vulnerable part of the population.
Replicability/Transferability
Ambiguous (e.g. multiple interpretations)
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
Different horticultural parks of this intervention will hold the same scheme.
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
Improved prevention or control of invasive alien species
Please specify other economic impact
Savings with food expenses (Ref. 5)
Description of environmental benefits
This NBS is an annual initiative of the Municipality of Sintra. As of 2020, the municipality hasn't submitted any reports about impacts and benefits, however, in the official decision and regulation for the NBS, it was mentioned that an increase in green spaces was expected. Considering the number of the plots inaugurated this was achieved as seen on Facebook posts created by the Municipality of Sintra in 2018 (1)
Results of a master thesis research: "This study also allowed to identify a diversity of main horticultural pests, grown in the studied gardens, as well as a great diversity of important biological control agents." (Ref.5 )
Economic impacts
Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
Other
Please specify other socio-cultural impact
Improved aesthetics (Ref. 5)
Description of economic benefits
Results of a master thesis research: "for most of the garden vegetables (41%), the products grown in the garden represent savings of less than 10% of the expenses related to household food." (Ref. 5).
"Regarding a possible reduction of economic costs with the purchase of food, it is clear that all respondents use the products grown for their self-consumption and that of their family and the vast majority offer some products" (Ref. 5).
Social and cultural impacts
Social justice and cohesion
Improved liveability
Improved access to urban green space
Increased access to healthy/affordable food
Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
Health and wellbeing
Improved physical health
Improved mental health
Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Other
Description of social and cultural benefits
The NBS didn't report any impacts as of August 2020. It is worth mentioning that it was expected as one of the benefits of the intervention to be improved access to affordable food in an area that was seen as less developed. It was seen by the municipality as a fight against poverty (Ref. 1,4)
Results of a master thesis research: "It was found that, in the perspective of the garden gardeners in the case studies, those urban gardens allowed an increase in physical activity and psychological well-being, have an aesthetic value and made it possible to foster good relations between gardeners, with the creation of social capital." (Ref. 5) "Regarding the improvement in well-being resulting from cultivating the garden and considering options 1 and 2 on the Likert scale, it is concluded that 79% of respondents feel more relaxed after spending time in the garden." (Ref. 5)
"Regarding the appreciation of the “aesthetic beauty” of the garden and considering options 1 and 2 on the Likert scale, it is concluded that the vast majority of respondents (30/77%) stated that they value the beauty of the garden. According to the responses of the gardeners, they mainly value: the organization and arrangement of the gardens; to be more pleasant to see the lands of the gardens nowadays, comparing with the lands previously, that were abandoned; they value beauty and like to make comparisons between plots" (Ref. 5)
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts
No impacts reported
Indicators
Unknown
Environmental, social and economic impacts
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Regeneration, land-use and urban development
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
Voluntary work opportunities
Environmental justice: The implementation of the NBS project resulted in ...
Improved access to green and/or blue spaces
Please specify other method used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
The use of the plots is subject to periodic evaluation by the managers in order to verify compliance with the duties imposed by the Regulation on the users.
Evaluation criteria are: The proper use of the parcel; Agricultural practices used; Routing of leftover waste; Healthy living among users. (3)
"with surveys, the main motivations and socioeconomic benefits of the gardens were investigated, from the perspective of the mint, and the main crops and agricultural practices adopted were characterized. With the collection of insects, an inventory was made of the taxonomic groups present in the two gardens and the evolution of the functional groups responsible for some ecosystem services was evaluated." (5)
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project
COVID-19 pandemic
Unknown as of August 2020.
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
No evidence in public records
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Questionnaire surveys / online surveys
Measurements of biophysical aspects of the NBS (e.g. temperature, water flow)
Observation (including virtual surveillance methods)
Other
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
unknown
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
Yes
Mode(s) of citizen involvement in evaluation/assessment
Other
Please specify other modes of citizen involvement in evaluation/assessment
The Municipal Council of Sintra promotes and organizes events requested by the citizens. Such as training plans and actions, namely in the field of organic farming, environmental impact, cultivation techniques and community citizenship, participation in Workshops and agricultural events and horticultural awareness. (ref.1)
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Unknown
References
Web links relevant to the intervention
Camara Municipal Sintra: Câmara disponibiliza 157 talhões nas hortas solidárias
Camara Municipal Sintra: Hortas Solidárias
Regulamento Municipal das Hortas Solidárias de Sintra
List of references
(1) Câmara Munic. Sintra (2017), Câmara disponibiliza 157 talhões nas hortas solidárias Available at https://cm-sintra.pt/atualidade/solidariedade-social/camara-disponibiliza-157-talhoes-nas-hortas-solidarias (Accessed 23-6-2020)
(2) Câmara Munic. Sintra (2017), Hortas Solidárias , Available at http://www.cm-sintra.pt/hortas-solidarias (Accessed 23-6-2020).
(3) Câmara Munic. Sintra (2016), Regulamento Municipal das Hortas Solidárias de Sintra, Available at http://www.cm-sintra.pt/phocadownload/PDF/acao_social/regulamento-municipal-das-hortas-solidarias-de-sintra-2016.pdf (Accessed 23-6-2020).
(4) Publico (2017), As hortas florescem nas ”cidades de cimento” de Lisboa e Sintra, Available at http://p3.publico.pt/actualidade/ambiente/23827/hortas-florescem-nas-cidades-de-cimento-de-lisboa-e-sintra (Accessed 23-6-2020)
(5) Beatriz Pegas (2019) "Hortas urbanas: Contributos ambientais, sociais e económicos. Dois casos de estudo no concelho de Sintra (dissertation thesis) Available at :https://www.repository.utl.pt/bitstream/10400.5/19541/1/Tese%20Beatriz%20Varandas.pdf (Accessed 23-6-2020).
Comments and notes
Additional insights
From the posts that I found on Facebook, the Municipality of Sintra seems to have inaugurated some of the plots so citizens are using them. In 2019, a graduate of the University of Lisbon wrote a dissertation thesis that actually dealt with the NBS. The name of the dissertation is "Hortas urbanas: Contributos ambientais, sociais e económicos. Dois casos de estudo no concelho de Sintra: (Beatriz Varandas Conceição Pegas). The thesis actually evaluates the benefits of the NBS but from the perspective of the gardeners. The document can be found here:
https://www.repository.utl.pt/bitstream/10400.5/19541/1/Tese%20Beatriz%20Varandas.pdf
Public Images
Community gardens in Sintra
Community gardens in Sintra
Source: https://sintranoticias.pt/2020/06/03/estao-abertas-candidaturas-para-hortas-solidarias-em-rio-de-mouro/
Community gardens in Sintra
Community gardens in Sintra
Source: https://sintranoticias.pt/2020/06/03/estao-abertas-candidaturas-para-hortas-solidarias-em-rio-de-mouro/