Agro-Terrorism

Agro-Terrorism

Agro-terrorism (also called agricultural bioterrorism) is the deliberate introduction of pests, pathogens, or contaminants into the agricultural sector—including crops, livestock, food supply chains—to damage the economy, create panic, and undermine confidence in the government.

Basic Features of Agro-Terrorism

• Target: Agriculture sector—crops, livestock, aquaculture, and food processing.
• Intent: Economic sabotage, public panic, loss of food security, psychological fear.
• Means: Use of biological agents (fungi, bacteria, viruses), pests (locusts), or chemical toxins.
• Perpetrators: Non-state actors (terrorists, extremists), enemy nations, ideologically motivated groups.

History of Agro-Terrorism

Agro-terrorism is not a recent phenomenon. The use of biological agents to destroy crops and livestock has ancient roots, but it became a formal national security concern only in the late 20th century.

Ancient and Medieval Roots

• 2000 BCE – Assyrians poisoned enemy wells with rye ergot (a fungus).
• Roman Empire: Dead animals were used to contaminate water supplies of besieged cities.
• Middle Ages: Armies used diseased carcasses to spread epidemics among enemy populations—rudimentary forms of bio-warfare, including agricultural sabotage.

While these aren’t agro-terrorism in the modern sense, they show that weaponization of food and agriculture has existed for millennia.

Modern History of Agro-Terrorism

World War I

• Germany was accused of using biological agents to infect Allied livestock—especially horses and mules—by spreading glanders and anthrax in enemy territories like the US, Argentina, and Romania.

World War II

• Japan’s Unit 731 (1937–1945): Conducted agricultural and human biological warfare experiments in occupied China, testing anthrax and plague. Crops were poisoned deliberately.
• Allied concerns: US, UK developed defensive and offensive bio-warfare programs, including focus on plant diseases.

Cold War and Beyond

• 1972: Biological Weapons Convention (BWC): Banned the use of biological agents for warfare, including targeting agriculture—but compliance issues persisted.

The Term “Agro-Terrorism” – First Usage

• The term “agro-terrorism” first gained policy-level attention in the United States in the late 1990s, especially after the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing and 1993 WTC attack, as analysts began to explore non-conventional terrorism vectors.
• Post-9/11, agro-terrorism became part of mainstream national security discourse, particularly in the US and Israel.
• 2001 Anthrax Letters in USA heightened fear about bioterrorism and indirectly exposed agriculture’s vulnerability.

India’s Timeline & Evolution

• Pest outbreaks with suspicious origins (Fall Armyworm in 2018),
• Rumors of seed sabotage (Bt cotton controversy),
• Illegal import of genetically modified crops/seeds,
• And cross-border locust swarms (2020) triggering alarms in defense and agriculture circles.

Why is India Vulnerable?

India's agriculture-centric economy and large rural population make it highly susceptible:

• 70% of rural population depends on agriculture.
• Fragmented landholdings and poor biosecurity protocols.
• Long and porous borders – smuggling of pests/pathogens is possible.
• Lack of awareness among farmers and weak surveillance infrastructure.
• Despite no official attribution, Indian security agencies have begun to consider “agro-sabotage” as a non-traditional warfare threat in policy circles since the mid-2010s.

Impact on Internal Security of India

Recent Trends & Incidents

1. Global Precedents
   • 2001 Foot-and-Mouth Disease (UK): Though not terrorist-induced, it exposed the economic devastation a disease outbreak could cause.
   • Anthrax attacks (USA, 2001): Bioterrorism raised concerns about vulnerabilities in agriculture.
2. India-Specific Concerns
   • Locust Attack 2020: Though natural, Pakistan-origin locust swarms reached Rajasthan, Gujarat, and MP. If weaponized, this could cause catastrophic damage.
   • Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda): Entered India in 2018; though accidental, experts warned about deliberate pest smuggling.
   • Rumors of contaminated seeds: Fake GM cotton seeds and counterfeit pesticides are emerging non-state threats to crop integrity.
   • Sabotage of food chains: Recent lathi-charge during fertilizer queues, black marketing of urea—though not terrorism, highlights how minor disruptions can create unrest.

Preventive Measures and Policy Initiatives

International Cooperation Needed

• India must align with International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
• Establish joint biosurveillance systems with neighbors like Nepal, Bangladesh, and ASEAN for pest monitoring.
• FAO-WHO collaboration on One Health for zoonotic agro-terrorism.

Way Forward

• Agro-terrorism is the new frontier in hybrid warfare.
• As climate change worsens pest invasions and diseases, deliberate agro-attacks could be masked as natural events
• India needs a National Agro-Biosecurity Strategy, akin to the National Cyber Security Policy, to anticipate, deter, and neutralize such threats.