Cyber Sentinels: Safeguarding Security & Ethics in the Digital Age
An NSERC CREATE SECURE-AGRO training module preparing trainees to address cybersecurity challenges in smart agriculture while upholding ethical standards and inclusive practices.
This online course module is part of the NSERC CREATE SECURE-AGRO training program. The module prepares trainees to address cybersecurity challenges in smart agriculture while upholding ethical standards and inclusive practices. The content is divided into three 20–30-minute parts.
Part 1: EDI Foundations in AgFoodTech
Content
- Intro on EDI in AgTech: gender, Indigenous and smallholder rights, digital divides, access to technology.
- Assign short online EDI training modules (e.g., institutional training, Data & Society, IEEE resources).
Key Resources
- Guidance: NSERC Guide on Integrating EDI in Research & Training.
- Course: Canada Research Chairs Unconscious Bias Training Module.
Activity: Fill a Form
Prompt: "Consider a new digital farming startup developing an AI crop management tool. What EDI considerations should the team keep in mind to ensure the product benefits a wide range of farmers (e.g., smallholders, different genders or ages, various regions)? Identify at least two potential biases or accessibility issues and suggest how to address them."
Each trainee posts a short response (2–3 paragraphs). Encourage the use of examples.
Part 2: Digital AgFoodTech & Literature Review (~20 min)
Content
- Overview of digital AgFoodTech technologies: IoT, AI, sensors, robotics, and precision agriculture.
- Assign 1–2 recent research papers for review.
Key Resources
- Systematic Review: “Cybersecurity in Smart Agriculture: A Systematic Literature Review” — Computers & Security (2025), I grow food, IT people do cybersecurity.
- Industry Report: “Shielding the Supply: Cybersecurity in Food and Agriculture” — Cybersecurity Guide (April 2025). An up-to-date overview of threats (like ransomware trends in 2024) and recommended practices for the agri-food sector.
- Technical Brief: CISA Food and Agriculture Cybersecurity Fact Sheet — the U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency’s checklist of cyber risks and defenses for the food/ag sector, including a quick “Secure Our World” checklist (strong passwords, MFA, phishing awareness, software updates) and links to free assessment tools.
Part 3: Vulnerabilities & Response Tools (~30 min)
Content
- Ethics and data use.
- Tour of CSL resources.
- Hands-on activity.
Key Resources
- Ethics in Cybersecurity: Agriculture data and AI bring specific dilemmas, e.g., farm data ownership, consent, and the impact of AI recommendations on livelihoods. For instance, if an AI suggests actions that might reduce labor needs, what are the ethical considerations for farm workers? See the Ethical Data Governance Toolkit.
- Data Use and Privacy: Companies gathering farm data often have ambiguous terms of service. There’s an ethical obligation to obtain informed consent and be transparent on how data is used. Privacy laws (like Canada’s PIPEDA or similar) give farmers rights to their data, so agritech professionals must design systems to honor those rights (e.g., allowing data export or deletion). See this article.
Activity
Visit the Cyber Science Lab Agri-Food Security page and review the following resources:
- Self-Assessment Forms (e.g., for dairy, beef, swine, aquaculture)
- Top 10 Vulnerabilities lists (per sector)
- Tabletop Exercise Frameworks
Choose one sector (dairy, beef, swine, or aquaculture) to focus on. Evaluate the resource you selected by asking:
- Are there new threats or technologies not included?
- Do the questions or vulnerabilities account for EDI considerations (e.g., smallholder vs. corporate farms, resource-constrained contexts)?
- Is the language and framing accessible to non-technical users (farmers, SMEs), or does it need simplification/visual aids?
Write a short report or annotated checklist with suggested updates.