Privacy Policy

How CropMap Namibia collects, uses, and protects information.

Last updated: 26 June 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how information is collected, used, disclosed, and safeguarded when you visit or use CropMap Namibia (the “Service”, “CropMap”, “we”, “us”, or “our”), accessible at cropmap.qbatic.com. CropMap is a sponsored service provided by QBatic. Please read this policy carefully. By accessing or using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read and understood it. If you do not agree with it, please do not use the Service.

1. Who we are

CropMap Namibia is operated and sponsored by QBatic (the “Operator”). For the purposes of applicable data-protection law, the Operator is the party responsible for deciding how and why your personal information is processed in connection with the Service. CropMap is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any farmer organisations, Namibian agricultural institutions, milling companies, or the Government of the Republic of Namibia.

2. Scope of this policy

This policy applies to information we process about: visitors who browse the public map; registered users who create an account as a member of the public, a producer (farmer), or a mill operator; and anyone who contacts us through the Service. It does not apply to any third-party website, product, or service that we do not operate, even if it is linked from the Service.

3. Information we collect

We collect the following categories of information:

3.1 Information you provide
  • Account information: your email address, display or contact name, chosen account type (public, producer, or mill), and a securely hashed password. We never store your password in plain text.
  • Producer profile: farm name, an automatically assigned producer number, region, and (optionally) a phone number.
  • Mill profile: business name, region, contact person, and (optionally) a phone number.
  • Operational data you enter: storage locations and their available crop tonnage, field details and estimated standing crop, mill silos and their levels, and movement records such as sales to mills, crop bought in, milling production, and harvests.
  • Precise geographic coordinates you may set for your storage locations or fields (see Section 5).
  • Contact-form data: your name, email address, optional subject, and message when you send us an enquiry.
3.2 Information collected automatically
  • Technical and log data such as your IP address, browser type, device and operating-system information, the pages you view, and the dates and times of access. Your IP address may be recorded together with a contact-form submission to help prevent abuse.
  • Authentication cookie used to keep you signed in (see Section 7).

We do not intentionally collect special categories of sensitive personal data, and we ask that you do not submit such data through the Service.

4. How we use information

We use the information we collect to:

  • create and administer your account and authenticate you;
  • provide the core function of the Service — aggregating crop availability and movement into a regional, national picture;
  • display region-level totals and national figures on the public map and dashboards;
  • respond to your enquiries and provide support;
  • maintain the security, integrity, and reliability of the Service and prevent fraud or abuse;
  • comply with our legal obligations and enforce our Terms & Conditions.

5. Aggregation, location data & privacy by design

Protecting individual participants is central to how CropMap is built. The following safeguards apply to the public-facing parts of the Service:

  • Exact locations are never published. Any precise coordinates you provide for a storage location or field are stored only to support your own records and accurate regional bucketing. They are never shown on the public map and are not included in any public data feed.
  • Only regional aggregates are shown. Public figures are summarised to the level of Namibia’s 14 administrative regions. The public map shows totals positioned at a region’s approximate centre, never at any individual farm or mill.
  • Minimum-reporting threshold (k-anonymity). A region’s figures are suppressed and shown as “awaiting more farms” unless at least two distinct producers report within it, so that no single participant’s figures can be isolated or reverse-identified.
  • Mill figures are national. Mill silo capacity and fill levels are shown only as a single national total, without per-mill detail.

Where applicable data-protection law requires a lawful basis, we rely on: the performance of a contract with you (to provide the account and Service you request); your consent (which you may withdraw at any time); our legitimate interests in operating, securing, and improving the Service in a way that does not override your rights; and compliance with legal obligations. Namibia’s data-protection framework continues to develop; we aim to apply good-practice principles regardless of the current statutory position.

7. Cookies and similar technologies

We use a small number of cookies that are strictly necessary for the Service to function — principally an authentication cookie that keeps you signed in and protects against cross-site request forgery. We do not use advertising cookies, and we do not allow third parties to use the Service to track you across other websites. The Service also instructs search engines not to index its pages. Most browsers let you block or delete cookies, but disabling the authentication cookie will prevent you from signing in.

8. How we share information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share information only as follows:

  • Service providers / processors: trusted parties who host or support the Service (for example, hosting and infrastructure providers) and who are permitted to process information only on our instructions and for the purposes described here.
  • Aggregated, non-identifying figures: region-level and national totals, which by design do not identify any individual participant, may be displayed publicly or shared.
  • Legal and safety reasons: where we believe disclosure is reasonably necessary to comply with a law, regulation, legal process, or enforceable governmental request, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of any person.
  • Business changes: in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, or transfer of assets, subject to the protections in this policy.

9. Data security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures designed to protect information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or alteration — including hashed password storage, restricted access to data, and transport encryption where available. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, however, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for keeping your account credentials confidential and for any activity under your account.

10. Data retention

We retain personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service, and thereafter only as long as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, prevent abuse, and enforce our agreements. Operational and movement records may be retained in aggregated form after individual records are removed. Contact-form messages are retained for as long as needed to handle your enquiry and for reasonable record-keeping.

11. Your rights and choices

Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to access the personal information we hold about you, to request correction of inaccurate information, to request deletion, to object to or restrict certain processing, and to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent. You can update much of your profile information directly within the Service. For other requests, please contact us using the details in Section 16. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request, and some information may be retained where we have a legal basis or obligation to do so.

12. Children’s privacy

The Service is intended for use by adults in a professional or organisational capacity and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so that we can take appropriate steps.

13. Hosting and international transfers

The Service is hosted on infrastructure that may be located in, or accessed from, countries other than your own. Where information is transferred across borders, we take steps intended to ensure it remains protected consistent with this policy.

14. Third-party links

The Service may contain links to third-party websites or resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those third parties, and this policy does not apply to them. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you use.

15. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

16. Contact us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact us at info@cropmap.na or through our contact form.