Oman is set to complete its first ever aquaponics-based organic farm by January 2017.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the next level of the project is scheduled for this month, and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
Called the Al-Arfan farm, it is located in Rumais, very close to the Naseem Garden, and is a result of a pilot project developed by Muscat Horizons International, which has brought in Canadian organic farming specialists, Water Farmers Aquaponics, to oversee the project.
The project fuses aquaponics with organic farming, and sees aquatic animals bred alongside agricultural crops in a symbiotic relationship.
The fish in the farm are fed nonGMO feed, and their excreta acts as fertiliser for the crops, with additional nutrients provided to the plants via composting and seaweed extracts.