Wednesday October 9th at 7pm at the Roleystone Family Centre, 19 Wygonda Road, Roleystone.

 Entry is $5. Cash to be paid on arrival

What is the definition of organic food production?  The answer, it seems, is “That depends on where you live”. If you live in the US, the hydroponic vegetables you buy might well be labelled as organically-produced. Elsewhere in the world, including Australia, hydroponically-produced crops cannot be advertised as organic.

What is going on here? Why are the standards so different in the US compared to the rest of the world. Are we missing something?

The October meeting of the Roleystone Organic Gardeners' Association will explore some of the issues related to this topic.

The talk will briefly cover the perceived history of hydroponics, its spectacularly rapid development in the 20th century and the currently important ethical uses that impact our lives today.

Whilst American hydroponic vegetables can be sold legally under an organic marketing label, the truth is that there is still an intense battle being fought in the courts by US organic farming interests to have this position reversed.

Arguments for both cases rest on whether the organic community has any universally-accepted fundamental assumptions, and if so, what are they.

In the hydroponics press the question “Can Hydroponics be Organic? Has been referred to as The Great Debate.  

Whilst the Roleystone OGA talk cannot cover all the issues, the aim is to raise awareness of the important role hydroponics now plays in food production and whether the compromises made in the US.  To do so, the speaker will present the evidence from both perspectives. 

 Hopefully attendees will leave the OGA meeting more informed -if not more convinced- of where they stand on hydroponic vegetable production.