However, Saʿīd bin Taymūr did begin some development programs in the country, particularly in the field of agriculture. In 1958, he established the Development Department and gave it permission to set up agricultural stations in the historically important interior city of Nizwā. These stations introduced new cultivars, machinery, fertilizers, insecticides, and provided extension services to Nizwānī farmers. The farms also became a part of society, even holding exhibitions around the region during which agriculturalists entered their produce in competitions. In the mid-1960s, the farm introduced the “Poona Red” onion, and it grew so successfully in Nizwā’s soil that there was a glut on the market. In response, a group of farmers formed a cooperative that secured a contract with the government to sell their excess onions to the army. The Onion Growers Cooperative continued to function into the 1970s.
Thus, the history Nizwā’s agricultural stations, beginning before the ascension of Qābūs, shows that development programs were taking place prior to 1970. In fact, in this instance, Qābūs built on the foundations laid by his predecessor. More importantly, prioritizing the active participation of ordinary Omanis in these processes presents an alternative history to the both top-down national and international histories of development, and subaltern stories of resistance.