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Abstract: The increasing digitization of agricultural operations has introduced new cybersecurity challenges for the farming community. This paper introduces an educational intervention called Cybersecurity Improvement Initiative for Agriculture (CIIA), which aims to strengthen cybersecurity awareness and resilience among farmers and food producers. Using a case study that focuses on farmers from the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, the research evaluates pre- and post- intervention survey data to assess participants' cybersecurity knowledge and awareness before and after exposure to the CIIA. The findings reveal a substantial baseline deficiency in cybersecurity education among participants, however, post-intervention assessments demonstrate improvements in the comprehension of cybersecurity concepts, such as password hygiene, multifactor authentication, and the necessity of routine data backups. These initial findings highlight the need for a continued and sustained, community-specific cybersecurity education effort to help mitigate emerging cyber threats in the agricultural sector.
Keywords: Cybersecurity, Farming, Agriculture, Education, Workforce development
1. Introduction
The modernization of agriculture through the introduction of digital technologies, known as smart farming and precision agriculture, has revolutionized traditional farming methods. Machinery that once functioned independently now seamlessly integrates with wireless networks, smartphone applications and cloud-based systems (Ayaz et al., 2019). This technological evolution has assisted famers to enhance productivity, streamline resource management, reduce operational costs and waste, as well as automating essential farming activities (Mercier, 2021, Barreto and Amaral, 2018, Meticulous Research, 2022). As a result, industry projections indicate that the Agriculture Internet of Things market is expected to increase from $11.4 billion in 2021, to $18.1 billion in 2026 (Markets and Markets, n.d.)
While smart farming and precision agriculture technologies offer substantial benefits, they also introduce significant cybersecurity risks (Gupta et al., 2020, Sontowski et al., 2020, Angyalos et ak, 2021, Freyhof, 2022). Researchers have warned that cybercriminals could exploit vulnerabilities in GPS-guided planting systems, potentially leading to large-scale disruptions in crop production (Freyhof, 2022). More concerning, however, is the growing number of ransomware attacks targeting the digital infrastructure that supports modern farming operations (Doyle, 2022, Bunge, 2021, Plume and Bing, 2021). One potential explanation for this phenomenon is that past food and agriculture policies failed to prioritize cybersecurity threats (Internet Security Alliance, n.d.). For example, both the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration considered cybersecurity...