Contrary to what was reported in the early 2010s: “Gardeners notified to abandon land in Sintra” (Público newspaper, 2011), Community Gardens have assumed an important and growing role in Sintra since 2016. In 2020, Bruno Parreira, vice-president of the municipality (and former president of the Rio de Mouro parish council), stated that these Community Gardens represent a “(…) connection to the land and the relational paradigm between people. Those who cultivate and see it grow, appropriate it and gain bonds of affection” (Sintra Notícias, 2020), thus highlighting the institutional importance of the project, in clear contrast to the reality of the beginning of the previous decade.
Within the scope of the Community Gardens Program of the Municipality of Sintra, the Quinta da Presa Community Garden, in Rio de Mouro, is an example of this growth, importance and affection. With an investment exceeding €395,000, this allotment garden allows urban farmers to cultivate all types of food for their own consumption. This space, equipped with 100 plots ranging in size from 38m² to 55m², within a total area of approximately 11,700m², of which approximately 5,000m² are dedicated to agricultural planting, is divided into seven resource-sharing units, each equipped with a shed for tool storage and a water distribution network, the latter supplied by SMAS (Sintra Municipal Services).
The first Community Garden in Rio de Mouro was inaugurated in November 2020, in the heart of the parish’s suburban area, in the Serra das Minas locality. (Image: Sintra Notícias, 2020)
The most recent inauguration of a community garden in the parish of Rio de Mouro was in October 2024, with the opening of the Tabaqueira Neighborhood Community Garden, a region once economically boosted by the tobacco production factory (“Fábrica da Tabaqueira”). The creation of this new community garden in the parish “resulted from a series of other measures taken within the scope of the decarbonization laboratory (…)” that exists in the tabaqueira neighborhood, as part of the SMILE Sintra project, as communicated by the Rio de Mouro parish council.
In addition to promoting activities that are increasingly falling out of use, such as agriculture, these community gardens allow for the reuse of vacant or unused land, as well as the development of fauna and flora that had previously abandoned these suburban areas, allowing for a symbiosis between residents and nature, always focusing on environmental sustainability, including the efficient use of water and energy. This awareness is encouraged by the municipality of Sintra, through the promotion of “(…) participation in workshops and agricultural and horticultural awareness events” (Municipal Regulation of the Solidarity Gardens of Sintra, 2016), carried out based on “(…) training plans and actions, namely, in the areas of organic farming, environmental impact, cultivation techniques and community citizenship” (Municipal Regulation of the Solidarity Gardens of Sintra, 2016).
The Quinta da Presa Community Garden is located in the Serra das Minas, combining a landscape that includes green spaces, buildings and the suburban train line (Image: João Pedro Costa, 2025)
In total, considering the existing records published by the municipality of Sintra, there are more than six community gardens in the municipality: in Rio de Mouro, Cacém, Belas, Monte Abraão and, more recently, in Massamá/Monte Abraão, with the inauguration of the Quinta das Nogueiras Community Garden. The construction of a new community garden in Mira-Sintra was also approved (in May 2025). All these gardens are accessible to the public, who must meet all the requirements requested by the municipality to use them. In all of them, the use of the plots is free, although a small fee may be requested to cover maintenance and resource usage expenses, as stipulated by the municipality.
Community gardens have emerged as responses to the social and environmental needs of large suburban areas, such as Sintra, offering an alternative to traditional green spaces, such as gardens or parks. However, the question remains: does the future of small-scale agriculture lie in large urban and suburban centers? Or, with increasing digitalization and demographic changes, will urban agriculture eventually fall into complete oblivion?
References:
Câmara Municipal de Sintra. Regulamento Municipal das Hortas Solidárias de Sintra. 23 de fevereiro de 2016. https://cm-sintra.pt/phocadownload/PDF/acao_social/regulamento-municipal-das-hortas-solidarias-de-sintra-2016.pdf
Câmara Municipal de Sintra. Autarquia atribui 100 talhões agrícolas na Horta Solidária em Rio de Mouro. Câmara Municipal de Sintra, 19 de novembro de 2020. https://cm-sintra.pt/atualidade/solidariedade-social/autarquia-atribui-100-talhoes-agricolas-na-horta-solidaria-em-rio-de-mouro
Câmara Municipal de Sintra. Candidaturas para hortas solidárias em Rio de Mouro. Câmara Municipal de Sintra, 29 de maio de 2020. https://cm-sintra.pt/atualidade/solidariedade-social/candidaturas-para-hortas-solidarias-em-rio-de-mouro
Câmara Municipal de Sintra. Horta Solidária de Rio de Mouro concluída. Câmara Municipal de Sintra, 10 de agosto de 2020. https://cm-sintra.pt/territorial/intervencoes-no-espaco-publico/horta-solidaria-de-rio-de-mouro-concluida
Junta de Freguesia de Rio de Mouro. Inauguração da Horta Solidária do Bairro da Tabaqueira. Junta de Freguesia de Rio de Mouro, 03 de outubro de 2024. https://jf-riodemouro.pt/inauguracao-da-horta-solidaria-do-bairro-da-tabaqueira/
Lisboa 2020. Hortas solidárias de Rio de Mouro (AVISO N.º LISBOA-09-2316-FEDER-000032). https://lisboa.portugal2020.pt/np4/1272.html
Jornal Público. Hortelões notificados para abandonar terrenos em Sintra. Jornal Público, 12 de dezembro de 2011. https://www.publico.pt/2011/12/12/jornal/horteloes-notificados-para-abandonar-terrenos-em-sintra-23599730
Sintra Notícias. Hortas urbanas na bacia de retenção em Rio de Mouro. Sintra Notícias, 23 de julho de 2020. https://sintranoticias.pt/2020/07/23/hortas-urbanas-na-bacia-de-retencao-em-rio-de-mouro/
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