🇿🇦 English, 15 October 2026, cybersecurity
Agricultural sector faces cyber security risks
Agricultural businesses may be vulnerable to cyber attacks due to lack of investment in digital transformation.
The 2026 Agri Indaba highlighted the importance of digital transformation in supporting the agricultural sector, including the role of data, AI, connectivity, automation and cyber security in helping businesses respond to changing operating conditions.
Agriculture faces mixed fortunes, with favourable summer rains supporting production conditions for field crops, fruit and vegetables, but also challenges such as foot-and-mouth disease and African swine fever.
The sector is also vulnerable to cyber attacks, with Sihlobo warning that agricultural output could contract by roughly 6% in 2027 due to potential drought and rising input costs, which could lead to food-price inflation and pressure on agricultural employment.