This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The threat of cyberattacks against American agriculture and food systems is growing, and Washington State University researchers are helping to lead a call for a national consortium of land-grant universities to study and combat the threat. The recommendation from researchers across the country, published in Nature Food, follows three regionally coordinated workshops and follow-up sessions involving more than 150 stakeholders and participants.
The co-authors—including WSU researchers—urged the creation of a national, geographically distributed Agriculture Cybersecurity Consortium (ACC) based on strong partnerships with farms, cooperatives, agribusiness, cybersecurity businesses, government, NGOs and academia. "With increased digitization of agricultural data and increased adoption of AI into daily workflows, it has become all the more important to provide cybersecurity guarantees in agriculture," said Ananth Kalyanaraman, professor and director of the WSU School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, as well as the director of the AgAID AI Institute for Transforming Workforce & Decision Support. Monowar Hasan, an assistant professor in the EECS school whose Cyber-Physical Systems Security Research Lab focuses on cybersecurity, said that the workshops revealed that many people underestimate the cybersecurity risks in agriculture.
"In our discussions with ag-tech vendors, growers and state agencies, we noted a lack of clear understanding of cybersecurity vulnerabilities and a lack of platforms and tools to conduct vulnerability assessments in digital agricultural systems," Hasan said. "This is primarily due to misconceptions about cyber threats and adversarial capabilities among agricultural stakeholders. Our collaborative interdisciplinary ag-cybersecurity consortium will help bridge this gap and improve the cybersecurity posture of the critical agricultural sector, which also has national security implications." The effort was coordinated by Iowa State University and included researchers from WSU, the University of California, Davis, Virginia Tech, North Carolina A&T University and IC-FOODS, an independent organization that connects food data through shared definitions and standards.
Their recommendation calls for the formation of the ACC focused on three pillars: multidisciplinary research and development; research infrastructures and testbeds; and educational programs and workforce development. Land-grant and other research universities would conduct much of this work with support from federal and state government agencies, alongside additional industry research. The ACC could bring university researchers, industry experts and other partners together to test cybersecurity solutions using real-world agricultural equipment and environments.
Expanding these facilities would support research, hands-on training for students and professionals, public demonstrations, and evidence-based policies and standards. Land-grant universities, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) facilities, regional irrigation districts and industry groups could develop and operate these sites with government support and possibly industry partnerships.
Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. d research that matter—daily or weekly. The ACC would provide the foundation for cybersecurity as an everyday practice in food and agriculture through education and training for students, working professionals and outside service providers. Extension educators could deliver practical, farm-focused instruction on protecting equipment and networks.
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