Dual-Use Politics: Cyber Sensors, the Emerging Military-Agri-Tech Complex in Israel/Palestine, and the Battle Against the Red Palm Weevil in Middle Eastern Date Plantations.

This paper examines the concept of "dual use" by analyzing how military technologies are repurposed for environmental and agricultural management in date plantations in Palestine and Israel, particularly in combating Red Palm Weevil (RPW) infestations. Through this case, we explore how former Israeli military intelligence professionals, alongside Israeli and Palestinian farmers, deploy high-tech tools like IoT sensors to combat invasive species. We investigate how technologies originally designed for security and surveillance are adapted for agro-environmental purposes, blurring the boundaries between military and civilian applications. We extend the idea of "dual use" beyond military-economic contexts to encompass its socio-political and ecological implications, particularly in settler-colonial settings.

Drawing on interdisciplinary literature, including research on more-than-human relations, political economies of agriculture, the plantationocene, and critiques of Global-North military-industrial complexes, we highlight how military discourse and practices are reconfigured to address environmental crises while reinforcing power asymmetries in conflict zones. Additionally, we demonstrate how the dual use of military technologies not only transforms agricultural practices but also reflects broader socio-political dynamics, where power and control are exercised through both human and non-human agents.

Our analysis illuminates the intersections of technology, agriculture, and political conflict, showing how control over non-human species, plant life, and agro-technological systems forms a complex assemblage of power, control, and ad-hoc collaborations. This paper contributes to discussions on technology and more-than-human agency in capitalist systems, innovation ecosystems in agriculture, and the complexities of addressing Anthropocene challenges through technological interventions in agri-food systems.