With autumn here Dhofar people are preparing for rain-fed farming

Farming stands as a lifestyle for Omani people ever since they counted on it in making a life for them and their families. They brilliantly developed various ways and method to make farming easier, active and rich such as falajes, wells as well as rain-fed farming. Due to that, they were able to plant different kinds of fruit and vegetables and even sell them locally and internationally.

With it is wonderful weather and exceptional autumn season, Dhofar turn all in green for three months. Dhofris take advantage of this weather by preparing for rain-fed farming which is locally called Al Meshadeed.

Al Meshadeed It is a plot of arable land that is prepared, leveled and then fenced with thorny trees such as Sidr and others in order to protect the cultivation of crops from the animals that attack them. They cultivate various crops such as legumes beans (locally dogger), corn and many farmers grow cucumbers and produce large quantities of it through the season.

Tellthis day, some citizens, farmers and young people are still working on this type of farming. Some even depend on it as a main source of their annual income. Many of them think that If this type of farming is used and expanded by adding more crops that can be brought during the period of its growth , it will certainly contribute to self-sufficiency and food security.

Preparing Al Meshadeed is built upon several phases until the plot is ready for cultivation.

The first step begins by cleaning the plot of land from any rubbish to be planted, after fencing it using thorny trees wood.

The second step is digging with a sharp tool like a sickle to prepare for seeds, then placing the seeds inside and covering them with a thin layer of soil.

The third step is Planting another amount of seeds together in a close corner, so that they will be placed in the areas where seeds did not sprout or damaged. This is an important way in trying to make use of every piece of the plot.

The fourth step starts by removing the grass that sprout with the seeds or that sprout between them again, so that they do not grow and replicate, causing the presence of insects, and also disturb the growth of the planted seeds. Additionally, Before the end of the rainy season, the grass must be are removed again.

The fifth step is waiting for the rain until it stops and the sun rises where after that they can start harvesting the crops.

Finally, they hit the crops with sticks, harvesting the grains and separating them from their husk. And then taking the grains to a dry place, packing, storing and using it throughout the year.

It is important mentioning that the amount of the crop depends on the land area and how the plantings are taken care of because such farming way needs a lot of monitoring and fostering.