Therapeutic kitchen garden created at the University Hospital of São João

LIPOR and the Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João (CHUSJ), Polo de Valongo, have advanced a partnership to create a Sustainable and Therapeutic Garden in the Psychiatry Service of Valongo, aimed at psychiatric patients as a relevant activity in the treatment of these patients.

The importance of therapeutic gardens as an occupational therapy is increasingly recognized, where contact with the land, nature, food production and the practice of organic farming contributes to everyone's well-being. This initiative has demonstrated that patients can develop and/or improve motor, cognitive and sensory skills, while promoting social interaction and teamwork.

In addition to the obvious benefit that the kitchen garden will bring to users, the promotion of biodiverse green spaces in urban environments brings numerous advantages, such as promoting biodiversity, promoting the cultivation of indigenous varieties, attracting pollinating insects and improving soil quality. With the installation of growbeds and training in organic farming, users are already growing their vegetables and aromatics!