Industry 4.0-Based Large-Scale Symbiotic Systems for Sustainable Food Security in Namibia

Abstract

Climatic changes can cause severe food and water shortages, and desert nations such as Namibia can be challenged more than other countries for obvious reasons. Dependency on imports for food and electricity in Namibia is continuous in recent times. However, Industry 4.0-based large-scale symbiotic systems can potentially help in achieving a sustainable food security regime, as they operate under controlled conditions. Namibia is blessed with abundant sunshine and land availability, and hence, ample opportunities do exist for producing solar energy, which is used to meet the energy requirements of symbiotic systems. This chapter examines typical local operating conditions and then makes a strong case for fully automated symbiotic systems that use low-cost desalination and renewable energies.