"Fruta à mão" was the beginning of Pick Your City Fruits. We launched a proposal for the municipality of Lisbon's Participatory Budget 2014, and, thanks to all those who voted and shared the idea, by email or facebook, posters and talks, it got enough votes to be implemented (THANKS SO MUCH TO ALL OF YOU VOTERS!!!).
The proposal's aim was the creation of a public orchard in the city of Lisbon. We've suggested Quinta dos Lilases, since there used to be an orchard when it was a privately owned property (and once it became a public park, the productive trees were mostly replaced by ornamental varieties). We believe that it is quite a shame to discard fruits or to have only ornamentals! All over Portugal there are fruit trees planted in parks and streets, but those are mainly bitter, sour, or ornamental varieties, planted just for their beauty. We strongly believe that edible is beautyful! So our aim is to have as many edible fruits planted as we can, and gradually show that picking your own fruit and sharing free food, are great ways of actively engage with the public space. After all, it's our city, our streets, our food! |