Cyber Threats in Agriculture and the Food Industry: An Indian Perspective

Introduction

Globally, India is one of the major countries in the agriculture sector and agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for about 58% of India's population. Agriculture is considered the backbone of the Indian economy. It has helped the Indian economy in several ways: providing food, a source of national income, a Source of employment generation, accumulation of the National Capital, provides raw materials for industries.Similarly, according to the United Nations (UN), the world population is expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050 (Roser, 2020; Godfray et al., 2010). According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, such a rise in population necessitates an increase in food production of about 70%. Many digital devices such as smartphones, various sensors, global position systems (GPSs), robotics, and drones could be utilised to extract valuable data analysis and make effective decisions to increase food production with less human resources and intervention (Adel et al., 2022). A criminal act that destroys data, steals data, or otherwise harms digital infrastructure is considered a cyber security concern.Cybersecurity is a multidisciplinary domain consisting of cybersecurity, bio-security, and cyber-physical security ( Fountas et al., 2015).

The digitalization of agriculture is an ongoing process that causes an increasing number of agricultural systems to be connected through the Internet (Adel et al., 2022). Because farming is becoming more dependent on computers and Internet connectivity, cyber security in the agriculture and food industry is a growing problem. Digital agriculture is not immune to cyber-attacks, which can range from controlling the heating and ventilation system of a greenhouse to controlling a drone used for spraying crops (Adel et al., 2022). The issue has received major research attention in recent years when the agro-technology community, the public sector, and scholars were made aware of it. Smart technology is now being used in agriculture to assist meet the rising demand for food. Farms are at a higher risk of becoming the target of cyber-attacks due to the increased automation and connection that comes with it. Agriculture keeps implementing cutting-edge smart technologies that enable expanded remote monitoring of livestock and crops.