Organic Farming Research, Demonstration and Teaching Field Laboratory for the Agriculture Experiment Station, Sultan Qaboos University in Oman

Organic farming is one of the fastest growing farming methods in the world, largely due to consumer demand. Many diverse practices are required to create successful farming systems, working as an integrated whole. Long-term systems experiments have been successfully carried out in the Netherlands, USA, and other countries with a temperate climate and rain-fed cropping systems to address research questions using this systems approach. To our knowledge, no such institutional site dedicated to long-term research currently exists in the arid climates and/or the Gulf Region countries. We propose to conduct organic systems experiments on dedicated land at the SQU Agricultural Experiment Station, and design the plots so that both long term and short term research objectives can be addressed. In addition, the demonstration and research plots will provide a valuable ?living laboratory? for Organic Agriculture (CROP4444) and other classes now taught at SQU. The value of creating this site and conducting these long term experiments will be realized for many years into the future, by researchers from many disciplines. One benefit/outcome of this project would be involving farmers from the planning process to demonstration of research results. Additionally, another outcome will be the research and information network that will be created by the process of establishment of this research site, as well as having the actual organic plots and long term research.