OK, today’s heading is a red herring. I have not written in a while, because “the muse” has left me. But today, I must revive her in whichever way.
Option 1 – what tabs are open on my laptop?
- Comprehensive written warning. (No, not for someone on the farm, it is to advise someone on some pitfalls). – Not a particularly positive sentiment to share.
- Fixed term contract. (Again, advising someone, and not necessarily something I want to regale you with.)
- Beneficial ownership forms. While I value transparency and appreciate what anti-money laundering bureaucracy is trying to manage, it is not a topic for today.
- Shopping list. I could expand on the typical groceries list for farm workers, and maybe inspire an on-line shopping & distribution solution for farm workers, but it is going to be a high-volume low value transaction. Besides which, airtime is too expensive, and smart phones are not necessarily widely available per individual.
- Produce excell spreadsheet. Aha, here I can share some thoughts, and do pre-launch publicity of the products I have been developing.
Food security
If you had met me in the last few months, you would know that I am particularly passionate about food security for Namibia. As a country, we export prime free-range beef. Yes, I am biased, yes it really is particularly superior beef. There is a little bit of local vegetable production but mostly we import food, fuel/oil, some energy and our currency is linked to the South African Rand. There is a whole debate behind that last part, which I will leave for a well-versed economist to expound on.
It would appear that Namibia is poised to become self-reliant (or at least actively participating in a conversation) on the fossil fuel front (bleh!), and on the renewable energy front (yeah for solar and green hydrogen) 
.
For as much as the world is a global village, and glocalisation is the way much business is conducted, it cannot be sustainable for a country to be reliant on imports for food. The minute there is a Russia Ukraine war, and 2 liter cooking oil increases from N$65 to N$125 within the space of a month, the denizens suffer. Large corporates like to pretend that they suffer, but the end grass roots user is the one that really bleeds in this specific scenario.
Namibia is a semi-arid country, which poses its own challenges for large scale agriculture. Regular droughts make investment in this sector risky, and as much as the commercial banks all have “agriculture” as a target sector, they themselves are bound by regulation and risk management practises that do not engender low value high volume production businesses.
Then there are the long distances between towns and villages. You can travel for a day, even on a gravel road, and pass by only 2 small villages, with perhaps a shebeen and not much else.
My word count is forcing me to get to the point.
I have changed careers, and am pursuing self-sustainable living, and contributing to food security of our nation.
Challenge number 1: Distribution
I have written before about how living off the land makes you an expert generalist. I have now engaged with an on-line store to take care of my distribution and revenue collection. This platform could work well for small scale farmers (specifically organic and “all natural” enthisiasts) to drop of their supply, collect their payment and charge back to the farm to manage the next round of crops.
It works well for the users who can collect, or have delivered to their doorstep.
Challenge number 2: Value vs volume
There is really not a lot of money in plain produce, not at the volumes I am operating at currently, and the distance makes fresh distribution problematic.
Enter beneficiation. I first learned about this word when I was facilitating a risk management workshop for a diamond polishing company. And the Minister of Trade always said that Namibia needs to manufacture more.
By somehow preserving my produce (without using “chemical” preservatives – sorry Dad!) the shelf life is extended, I have somehow added more value to the product, and we are keeping our money within the borders of the country, no longer needing to import processed foodstuff.
And to top it all, my baked goods (it really was worth investing in a SMEG full gas oven – I love baking) also contribute to local manufactured goods.
There is another story, quite a long story, behind the SMEG oven, but for now, let me just say thanks to Nictus Furnishers, for sorting my full gas vs gas hob electric oven issue, with no hassles…https://nictusonline.com.na/search?q=smeg
Challenge 3: Seasonal impact
Extending seasons I also address through dried herbs, spices, and certain vegetables.
So there you have it – How I am aiming to become self-sufficient with producing what I need, and effectively bartering with my excess for what I cannot produce.
Challenge 4: ESG. Specifically the environmental part.
Eco-friendly packaging. Either glass (which can be recycled – please do so), or bio-degradable packing, or multi use plastic in the worst case.
My ingredients I purchase from the Zero Waste store, eliminating excessive packaging in our landfills. https://www.zerowastestore.com.na/
As soon as I have concluded my distribution agreement, you can look forward to convenient on line shopping and door to door delivery.
I’m off to care for the baby-spinach which should be ready shortly.
