CYBER SECURITY AND THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURAL FOOD INDUSTRIES IN SOUTH SOUTH NIGERIA

I n r e c e n t d e c a d e s , t h e a g r i c u l t u r a l f o o d s e c t o r h a s u n d e r g o n e r a p i d transformations in food production and distribution. The tangible value of the farm food sector's activities has diminished, but the value of intangibles — data, information, insights — has increased. The need for data protection and security escalates in rela tion to the system's integrity as precision agriculture becomes prevalent, utilizing global positioning systems and RFIDs to enhance traceability a n d s a f e t y . T h e i n d u s t r y ' s a d v a n c e m e n t o v e r t h e g e n e r a l e c o n o m y i n t h e implementation of autonomous robots and artificial intelligence indicates that the critical valuation within the sector will be on data generation, organization, analytics, and machine learning. This study is an exploratory endeavor aimed at understanding the potential risks of infiltrating the agricultural food sector. It examines the nature, characteristics, and framework of these cybersecurity risks, h i g h l i g h t i n g t h e s k i l l s a n d r e s o u r c e s n e c e s s a r y f o r t h e i n d u s t r y t o c o n t i n u e delivering value to its consumers while maintaining competitiveness . All firms are progressively facing significant challenges from cyber security breaches. The a g r i c u l t u r a l f o o d b u s i n e s s i s a l s o s u s c e p t i b l e t o t h e h a z a r d s i t p r e s e n t s. Preparation is crucial to ensure the industry's future.