Oman is one of the world’s most arid countries where water availability fully relies on groundwater resources and desalinization plants. The average annual rainfall depth has been estimated is around 60 mm, varying from less than 20 mm in the internal desert regions to over 300 mm in the mountain areas. This rainfall on mountain areas yields to occasional groundwater recharge.

Currently, two Spanish agricultural companies develop a 12 hectare hydroponic greenhouse project in Barka, Oman. The Barka project is the first such development in the region, and will have a production capacity of 3m tonnes. The goal is to use up to 60% less water than conventional farming technique in this region.

Specific expertise on greenhouses of the FutureWater team was required to review the technical design specifications of the greenhouses. The work highlighted the strong and weaker points of the technical document and suggested modifications and/or improvements. Besides, a brief synthesis of the climatic characteristics was given that are most relevant for the greenhouse design.