One of the things that stayed with me from a visit to Jabal Akhdar wasn't the breathtaking mountain views. It was walking through a farm where rows of strawberries sat beside grapevines, while nearby were zucchinis and other crops that, years ago, I would never have encountered in Oman.
Standing there, I couldn't help but think about how much things have changed.
If someone had told me a decade ago that families would one day be driving to Barka to spend the weekend picking strawberries, or that people would be sharing videos of locally grown coffee, jackfruit and pineapples on social media, I would probably have smiled politely and dismissed it as wishful thinking.
Back then, the conversations around Oman's agriculture were very different. The country was rightly proud of its dates, bananas, coconuts and limes, but many of the fruits and vegetables we enjoyed elsewhere simply arrived by ship or lorry. Growing them here on any meaningful scale seemed unrealistic.
Today, every few months brings another pleasant surprise. One week it is strawberries, then someone discovers Omani-grown grapes, another post showcases coffee cultivated in Dhofar. Long time ago, people were talking about jackfruit, heirloom tomatoes, kale and other crops that once seemed completely out of place in a country better known for its deserts than its farms.
This transformation has not happened overnight. Food security has become one of Oman's national priorities, with investment in modern farming, protected agriculture and smarter irrigation helping local producers grow more while reducing reliance on imports.
What I find even more encouraging is that many of these success stories are not driven by multinational companies. They belong to local farmers willing to take a chance.
Take the strawberry farm in Barka. What began as one entrepreneur's farming venture has grown into a seasonal attraction where families spend the day picking fruit and seeing Omani agriculture in a completely different light. Farming is no longer something hidden behind a fence. It has become an experience.
It also makes me wonder what we might be talking about ten years from now.
If Oman can successfully grow strawberries, grapes, coffee, pineapples and even jackfruit today, what will tomorrow's farmers achieve? As greenhouse technology improves and more people experiment with different crops, perhaps the next surprise is already taking root somewhere in the country.
For me, the most exciting harvest is not simply the fruit itself. It is the confidence that Omani farmers continue to experiment, innovate and prove that sometimes the most unexpected things can flourish in the most unexpected places.
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