Across Portugal, 54.3% of unemployed individuals with disabilities face long-term unemployment due to severe barriers in accessing practical, hands-on job training ¹. This lack of vocational pathways is worsened by structural gaps in social protection, as the nation invests just 1.49% of its GDP in disability support—falling well below the European average ². Simultaneously, rising food insecurity affects 16.3% of the population, creating an urgent demand for fresh, organic produce in vulnerable communities that struggle to afford nutritious meals ³.
In the Lisbon metropolitan region, community-based organic farms serve as vital hubs for both food production and disability inclusion, but they face immense operational strain ⁴. Local programs designed to give young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) hands-on farm experience lack the labor necessary to manage large-scale planting, crop maintenance, and harvesting. Without sufficient physical support to expand farm yields, these agricultural initiatives struggle to produce enough food to supply low-income families or generate the crop sales needed to keep their vocational training programs running.
This summer, HXP Builders will work on a local organic farm in the Lisbon area, planting, harvesting, and preparing healthy crops. Working directly with adult trainees with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Builders will support daily farm operations while fostering an energetic environment of social inclusion and skill-building. By expanding farm yields, Builders will help supply fresh food directly to families in need and generate vital crop revenue that funds ongoing disability support programs.
Sources
¹ United Nations – Disability and Development Report: Employment & Labor Market Barriers
² European Commission – Social Protection & Disability Spending in the EU
³ UNDP – Human Development Reports: Portugal Living Standards & Food Insecurity
⁴ World Bank – Portugal Economic & Urban Inclusion Data