Cape Town - There have been warnings of cyber threats to digital and smart farming that can pose potential risks to food security in Africa and there are fears hackers could exploit flaws in agricultural software or hardware used to plant and harvest crops.
Kaspersky Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team expert Vladimir Dashchenko said: “Smart farm machinery is vulnerable to hackers, leaving supply chains across Africa and the rest of the world exposed to significant risk.”
Dashchenko said events during and following the global pandemic had highlighted the resultant impact if supply chains were disrupted.
“Agricultural cyber security should encompass the technologies, processes, and staff security awareness training that protect infrastructure and devices from cyber threats.”
The warnings come as farmers in the Western Cape embrace technology to help them gather information and data on all aspects regarding their farming operations and smart technology is increasingly used to make agriculture more efficient.
Spurred by the training of drone pilots at the Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute, farmers have been using drones to decrease the cost of monitoring crop growth, improve data capture, and identify areas presenting potential challenges and more effectively monitor pests or disease outbreaks in crops and among livestock.
This morning, a consortium from the horticultural sector, including local and Dutch companies, in partnership with Stellenbosch University (SU), will officially open the HortiDemoCentre, which opens to the public on Friday.
SU agronomy department lecturer Estelle Kempen said the facility would be used to train the next generation of agricultural experts in close collaboration with industry, while also offering training to emerging farmers.
Meanwhile, following a collaboration between Winetech and wine industry body Vinpro, an e-learning platform for the wine industry is helping vineyard workers to sharpen their online skills.
Winetech learning and development manager Kachné Ross said the platform was established to offer quality training to people from across the wine industry value chain in a simple and accessible format.
Vinpro consultation service manager Conrad Schutte said: “It is important for us to continuously exchange knowledge in the industry so that we can continue to apply world standards in vineyard management, thereby ensuring a more sustainable and responsible industry.”