Identification & Background:
Project Title: Valuing the family gardenin order to educate for a healthy and sustainableMediterranean diet.
Project code: PRR-C05-i03-I-000157 – project supported under PRR (www.recuperarportugal.gov.pt)
Main objective:
With the aim of promoting the Mediterranean Diet in our country by ensuring sustainable food, the main strategy of this proposal is to enhance and differentiate family garden products in both rural and urban areas. To this end, this project will develop agro-ecological activities in various regions of the country, in family gardens, but also in urban and peri-urban gardens in Lisbon, Viseu and Bragança, in order to promote the use of sustainable practices in family farming throughout the value chain, i.e. from production to the end consumer.
Region of intervention: Portugal
Beneficiary entities:
Laboratório Colaborativo Montanhas de Investigação – Associação (Project Leader)
– Direção Regional de Agricultura e Pescas do Norte (DRAPN)
– Instituto Politécnico de Bragança (IPB)
– Instituto Superior de Agronomia (ISA)
– Instituto Politécnico de Viseu (IPV)
– Direção Regional de Agricultura e Pescas do Centro (DRAPC)
– Associação de Desenvolvimento dos Concelhos da Raia Nordestina (CoraNe)
– Centro Operativo Tecnológico Hortofrutícola Nacional (COTHN)
– Associação Portuguesa de Agricultura Biológica (Agrobio)
– Deifil Technology, Lda (Deifil)
– Living Seeds Sementes Vivas, SA (Sementes Vivas)
– Delícias do Juncal, Lda (Delícias)
– Mata Verde Estudos e Projectos Lda (Mata Verde)
– ECOSEIVA – Agricultura Biológica Lda (ECOSEIVA)
Approval date: 17/01/2023
Start date: 17/01/2023
Conclusion date: 31 /12 /2025
Total eligible investment: 775 472,16 €
Financial support of European Union: Investimento RE-C05-i03 – Agenda de investigação e inovação para a sustentabilidade da agricultura, alimentação e agroindústria; N.º 12/C05-i03/2021 – Projetos I&D+I – Projetos de Investigação e Inovação – Alimentação Sustentável
Objectives
- Create a food chain that benefits consumers, farmers, and the environment, using Social Innovation tools to help revitalize the family garden.
- Boost the consumption of less caloric products, as an intrinsic part of the Mediterranean Diet food pyramid. Promote the consumption of these products in rural development models to revert the consequences of the rural exodus on Portuguese dietary habits.
- Establishing and increasing innovative agro-ecological methods and practices, based on organic production, so that consumers can make healthier and more sustainable food choices.
Activities
- Mediterranean diet: vegetable garden species and nutritional value.
- Soil management practices to encourage water-saving systems in kitchen gardens.
- Raising awareness about efficient management of organic garden and household waste. Streamlining and optimising the composting process in family gardens.
- Agro-ecological practices to improve plant health in family gardens.
- Family gardens: employment in an inclusive society.
- Promoting the consumption of products from family gardens by implementing short marketing chains with a guarantee of origin and authenticity.
- Family garden products. What makes them different?
- Project management, coordination, and monitoring.
9.Training, dissemination, and demonstration activities.
Expected results
“Future Earth” Agenda:
BIOLOGICAL GARDEN: More than 50% of the agricultural area in sustainable production
– 25% of agricultural production in organic farming, using soil, water, nutrients and biodiversity more effectively and efficiently;
– 500 organic farmers;
– 15 vegetable varieties to be recovered and conserved in the country;
– Zero use of pesticides in family gardens;
– Reduce water consumption in vegetable gardens by 40%;
– Increase community composting by 20%.
