Henry Doubleday Research Association

Henry Doubleday

Beginnings

Henry Doubleday Research Association (H.D.R.A.) was started in 1970 with a membership of gardeners, smallholders and farmers committed to going organic. The organisation has played an important contributing role in the growth of sustainable agriculture in Australia.

Pure Food the Goal

The Association aims to serve the needs of people concerned about contamination of food and degradation of the environment by chemical-based agriculture. H.D.R.A. works to support progress towards:

Increased home production of organically grown fruit and vegetables
More ecologically sound farming methods
Higher quality, less contaminated food available to consumers
Education in organic growing principles and practices.

Newsletter, Library, Advice

Joining the Association entitles members to:

Quarterly journal "Natural Growing"
Library (over 400 titles) for reference and borrowing
Talks and workshops
Gardening at the EarthCare site
Seed bank of organic and rare seeds
Mail-order bookshop
Growing advice from an advisory committee

Learning to Grow Organically

Active involvement in food gardening, learning organic growing methods is a membership benefit. Weekly groups work on Tuesdays and Saturdays; open access to the garden for regular participants.

Join the Association

Annual membership: single/family $22.00 (inc GST); student/pensioner $13.20 (inc GST)

Meetings

Third Monday of the month at 7.30 pm.

Contact Details

Postal address:
The Secretary
PO Box 442
Richmond NSW 2753

Email: hdra@earthcare.org.au

The HDRA organic gardens, maintained by members at Hawkesbury EarthCare Centre, cover half a hectare and are a living demonstration of sustainable growing methods.

A founding member of H.D.R.A., Dick McNeill, smallholder and orchardist at Kurrajong, NSW, was the first grower in Australia to be given organic certification by NASAA in 1987.