Transforming Agriculture in South AlBatinah (Oman): IoT- Enabled vs. Traditional Greenhouses and Their Impact on Self- Sufficiency

Transforming agriculture is essential for achieving sustainability and food security in Oman. This research presents a comparative analysis of traditional and IoT-based greenhouse farming in South Al Batinah, focusing on four objectives: (1) analyze the relationship between IoT usage and adoption levels; (2) determine the barriers preventing adoption by traditional farmers; (3) assess the socio-economic, environmental and social impacts of IoT versus traditional practices and (4) evaluate the level of government support and future needs.

The study surveyed 25 greenhouse farmers in Barka, Suwaiq and Al Mussanah using a structured questionnaire Data analysis employed chi-square tests of independence and goodness-of-fit, Mann-Whitney U tests and descriptive ranking.

Mann-Whitney U test results show that IoT adopters achieve higher productivity, better produce quality, lower costs and improved resource-use efficiency than non-adopters, while income differences remain statistically insignificant. Adoption barriers are mainly financial and knowledge-based, with high initial investment (89.5%) and lack of incentives (84.2%) most frequently reported. Most greenhouse owners also highlighted weak government regulation of imported fruits and vegetables, which depresses local prices and price-based competition from traditionally produced-often lower-quality-produce. This price-driven market environment reduces the economic viability of IoT adoption. Overall, IoT-enabled greenhouse farming enhances efficiency and sustainability, but wider adoption depends on supportive policies for pricing regulation, finance, training and market facilitation.