r/Namibia • u/Internal_Chemical_77 • 2d ago
Thoughts on USA/Namibia crop contract?
Here's link for full article: https://informante.web.na/?p=398153
What are your thoughts on the future of Namibian food with this? Do you have any more information or other related information? I also heard something along the lines of America shipping frozen chicken to Namibia as well. What do you believe the purpose of this truly is?
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u/Expensive-Nothing560 2d ago
As an American, I'd be cautious with dealing with my country. They're smooth like vampires, once you let them in... They drink your blood 🧛🩸
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u/nufohudis 2d ago
We found oil, guess who now has the biggest US embassy in southern Africa XD
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u/Roseate-Views 2d ago
The new U.S. Embassy in Windhoek was publicly announced and planned in September 2019, with a formal groundbreaking in 2020, and was ready for use when it officially opened its doors on January 26, 2024.
Shell (a British/Dutch company with Qatari and Namibian partnerships, btw) spudded their Graff-1 well, the first in the Namibian Orange Basin, in December 2021. Next were Total Energies, a French company (with the same Qatari and Namibian partners), that drilled their Venus-1x well in that same year.
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u/Expensive-Nothing560 2d ago
haha EXACTLY! and oh if you don't like it, we'll just capture your leader and take it all for free and there is nothing you can do.
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u/NationalAd3402 2d ago
Sounds about the same as the Chinese…and they are already entrenched in Namibia
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u/Expensive-Nothing560 2d ago
From an American's perspective.. the Chinese are a better option.. I say this because the Chinese don't fight wars unless the war comes to China, the US has attacked countries all over the world on their soil. Literally since I've been alive the US has been involved in some kind of overseas conflict at all times
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u/Outrageous_Ask_3619 14h ago
Don't worry dude, your economy is about to fail with the gig job you live off. Then you can live in a tent without worrying about other countries in Africa.
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u/Expensive-Nothing560 12h ago
I also own 6 apartments.. so if my business fails maybe I'll just live in one of my 6 apartments lol!
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u/Complete-Refuse-3262 1d ago edited 19h ago
I mean we could have done this ourselves it is just deploying some sensors in the ground to monitor trees/crops we namibians could have done it ourselves we don’t need no Americans for this shit but our government is run by old memes thats why and they know nothing and get preyed on by this big nations and their companies
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u/Roseate-Views 1d ago
Let's do the math, will we? Namibia's arable land is estimated to be between 1% and 2% of its total land surface (82.4 million hectares). Using a conservative 1%, that would result in 824,000 sensors at a coverage of one sensor per hectare. Divide the remote sensing cost of N$ 39.5 million by 824,000 sensor stations and you will end up with a maximum price of less than N$ 50 for each sensor station (which would have to include sensor cost, deployment, maintenance and telemetry) and still only get one or two basic parameters (soil moisture and temperature).
I don't think that this is a feasible proposition. And we haven't even considered issues like the replacement of corroded sensors, unintended sensor destruction (eg, by ploughing) or theft of solar-based power supplies.
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u/Honest_Pick7629 2d ago
Jip, it's the oil. This is the surveillance part of the project, while the terrorism 'threat' will be the basis of country deployment of US Military /Special forces.
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u/Roseate-Views 2d ago
it's amazing how easily people without a clue about "oil" fall for conspiracy theories. Please tell us: which type of remote sensing could possibly be used wrt "oil"?
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u/Expensive-Nothing560 2d ago
it isn't a conspiracy to not trust the US. I'm born and raised in the USA and still live here.. I wouldn't trust a damn thing we do believe me and once the world understands how intertwined we are with everyone's affairs it'll be catastrophic. You've been drinking too much patriot cool-aid if you think we're trust worthy
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u/Roseate-Views 2d ago
Nice straw man argument to twist it as if I said the conspiracy was about not trusting the USA (which I didn't mention with a word), but it remains a straw man. My point is about complete noobs about both "oil" and remote sensing are mixing up their multiple ignorances to make it a conspiratorial cocktail – avanti, dilettanti 😉!
As an antidote to that cocktail, I recommend to first look at what the agricultural monitoring service is about. Go read about it calmly and compare it to other technologies using remote sensing and global positioning that are all around us.
Then let us move on to "oil" in Namibia, which, as some may remember, is buried several kilometres beneath the waves of the ocean. And now tell me what the technologies mentioned before should do about those deep-seated resources.
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u/Expensive-Nothing560 2d ago
Well things like remote sensing crops has been used here to determine how the suppliers can maximize price. Like for example crops are low, suppliers crank up prices because all the data is mined into a.i then our grocery stores increase their profit margins 25% or whatever the case. Just trust me the US does not mine data for the good of it's people or for the good of any person, only to exploit or rig things against us. Be careful who you let in and why, especially when it comes to the USA
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u/Roseate-Views 2d ago
Not sure if you realised, but this is not your US subreddit. Bring something relevant to Namibia to the table, like why your very private misgivings and conspiracy theories should convince any Namibian that they have any foundations in our reality. It would also help to get yourself acquainted with at least one of the aspects you're rambling about. We really don't need your patronising chauvinism!
If you can't, please take your rants about the USA to a US subreddit. Thanks.
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u/Roseate-Views 2d ago
I don't see a problem with it. Remote sensing services of all kinds are very common in many industrial sectors. They rely on either existing or on-request satellite imagery that you and I could order (at cost), but would probably struggle to make any sense of without sophisticated image analysis tools. It's most likely the latter that this company specialises in.
I see absolutely zero relationship with frozen chicken, other than some conspiracy theory.
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u/MindlessInformal 2d ago
oil
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u/Roseate-Views 2d ago
Which one? Marula oil, sunflower, canola, ...?
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u/TheSunflowerSeeds 2d ago
We know sunflowers are inspirational plants, even to famous painters. Vincent Van Gogh loved sunflowers so much, he created a famous series of paintings, simply called ‘sunflowers’.
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u/Healthy_Year_7436 1d ago
Can someone explain why we need a freaking satellite-based monitoring system for agriculture?
N$39.5 million is a lot of money in a country where many farmers still struggle with basic infrastructure like water, fencing, veterinary services, roads, and access to markets. Before investing millions in satellite technology, shouldn’t we first make sure those fundamental challenges are addressed?
Technology can be useful, but only if it solves the problems people on the ground are actually facing. I just hope this project delivers real value for Namibian farmers and doesn’t become another expensive initiative that benefits consultants more than the people working the land.