In total, there are 2,147 plots cultivated "in a sustainable food production mode," including gardens in institutions, municipalities, and spontaneous gardens, according to figures requested by Lusa regarding the "Horta à Porta" (Garden at Your Door) project, which Lipor, an intermunicipal association that manages the waste of eight municipalities in the Porto Metropolitan Area (AMP), develops in partnership with the participating municipalities.

Porto is the most active municipality, with 14 gardens, 512 plots, and 45,426 square meters, employing 471 gardeners.

In Maia, there are 12 allotments, 394 plots, and 35,892 square metres, followed by Matosinhos, with 13 allotments, 435 plots, and 22,202 square metres.

The project also extends to Gondomar, with eight allotments totalling almost 14,000 square metres; Valongo, with four allotments allowing for 227 plots; Póvoa de Varzim (four allotments, 211 plots); Vila do Conde (two allotments, 81 plots); and Espinho (three allotments, 43 plots).

In addition to the 1,786 people with assigned plots, of which 471 are in Porto, 388 in Matosinhos and 334 in Maia, which mobilise the most people, there is a waiting list with almost double the number of current participants, because "the turnover of gardeners is low, with long stays in the garden".

"Currently, there are approximately 3,054 registered individuals awaiting the allocation of a plot," notes Lipor.

To meet demand, the associated municipalities and Lipor have launched new allotments, which also point to "other cultivation options/models," such as the Crestins Agroforestry Allotment next to the association's facilities or rooftop gardens.

The "Horta à Porta" (Garden at Your Door) project started in July 2003 and, less than a year later, saw the opening of the first allotment in Crestins, with 74 plots, having grown over the years due to the "growing interest of the population."

The main objective "is self-consumption," with plots averaging 25 square meters, and whenever there is a surplus, it is usually shared among family, neighbours, and friends.

One of the allotments in Maia has a more "subsistence-oriented" character, with plots around 100 square metres, and the products can be sold there at a shared stall specifically for these producers at the Castêlo da Maia Market.

Lipor, created in 1982, comprises the municipalities of Porto, Maia, Matosinhos, Gondomar, Póvoa de Varzim, Vila do Conde, Espinho and Valongo, covering approximately 10% of the Portuguese population.