Pathogens, Pests and Power Play: Tracing the Lines of Agroterrorism

As Shintaro Ishihara, a Japanese politician, rightly said, “The twenty-first century will be a century of economic warfare.” Agroterrorism rightly fits in within this framework and goes beyond the conventional view of terrorism as solely involving hard power and militarisation.

Illustration by The Geostrata

Thus, the deliberate use of biological agents to destroy agriculture connotes ‘agroterrorism’, and this can subsequently be used to destabilise the socio-economic pillar of the state by targeting its food crops, cash crops, and agriculture-based industries.

HISTORY OF AGROTERRORISM

At first, combining agriculture with terrorism might sound obscure, but this practice has existed since ancient times. According to folklore, Genghis Khan, a popular Mongol leader, sent rinderpest-infected cattle to his enemies, so as to decimate their food supply and make them easier to conquer.

More so, it was claimed that during 660 BC, the Assyrians used mycotoxin which contained rye ergot (a fungal toxin that grows on grains and causes ergot poisoning), to contaminate the water sources of enemies.

Additionally, if we turn to the 20th century, during World War I, Germans allegedly used glanders (Burkholderia mallei) and anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) to infect horses and further sprinkled fungi to contaminate food grain stores, which served as supplies to allied forces in Europe. 

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NATURAL DISEASE OUTBREAK AND AGROTERRORISM

Although it becomes extremely difficult to differentiate between the outbreak of a natural disease and agroterrorism, there are certain cues that help us to figure out the same. It has a defined set of dynamics and mode of transmission. In contrast, an intentional attack typically causes rapid and severe effects on the target crop.

It accelerates rapidly, and the progression is rapid. Another imperative point to be noted is that an intentional attack usually targets highly productive crops; a natural outbreak, on the other hand, occurs irrespective of the productivity of the crop. 

GENETICALLY MODIFIED PATHOGENS

In the last few decades, there have been rapid advances in biotechnology and genetic engineering, thereby making it susceptible to using these technologies by adversaries to modify natural pathogens into virulent, resistance-breaking and tolerant military weapons.

With regard to this, in 2002, during raids on terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda hide-outs in Afghanistan, handwritten documents were confiscated, which outlined that the terror group was actively involved in research on anti-personnel, anti-veterinary, and anti-plant warfare agents.

Beyond anti-crop pathogens, the agricultural economy of a country can be destroyed by using genetically modified agricultural products or genetically modified (GM) crops.

The ‘terminator technology’ or the ‘suicide seeds technology’ serves as the perfect example for the same. Via the terminator technology, the seeds are genetically engineered to produce plants that yield sterile seeds after generations.

This can be subsequently used for controlling the agro-economy of a state or for waging silent agro-economic warfare.

In addition to this, the trials of newly developed GM crops are largely carried out in developing countries; therefore, the third world countries bear the brunt of the damage, while the countries that developed the crops remain protected.

More so, disturbance in the agricultural sector can cause destruction of the livelihood of numerous people, can cause mass unemployment, food shortage, and rises in food prices, thereby resulting in a destabilised socio-political fibre. In addition, it may lead to severe consequences for the international markets and exports, subsequently crippling the economy.

TRACING THE INDIAN CONTEXT

In the Indian economy, agriculture is the most important sector, contributing 23 % to the GDP and providing employment to 59 % of the workforce in 2016. Although agriculture’s share of GDP has steadily declined to 15-18%, it remains a significant sector, employing nearly 50% of the workforce. 

The fact that the Indian economy is so dependent on agriculture makes it even more susceptible to threats from pathogens that could ultimately incur huge economic losses. Puccinia triticina (cereal rusts), rice blast, Pyricularia graminis-tritici (Wheat blast), citrus tristeza virus, and geminiviruses (causing leaf curl disease) are some important viruses when we talk about from the standpoint of India. 

In this regard, (Spodoptera frugiperda) was detected in Karnataka, which eventually spread to 10 different states in India. This led to a loss of Rupees 20 crores worth of maize crops due to this pest.

Therefore, the question remains pivotal whether this pest was deliberately introduced into the Indian agroecosystem or is a natural invader.

In conclusion, a country that has a strong surveillance system is subsequently able to detect and mitigate threats, thereby making it less likely to be targeted. In addition to strict surveillance and monitoring mechanisms, the importance of having strong legislation stands imperative.

Having provisions for considerable punishment for aggressive acts against agriculture. Thereupon, the plant pathogens under research in both government as well as private organisations should be properly secured to avoid aggravation of agroterrorism. 

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BY URJA

TEAM GEOSTRATA

info@thegeostrata.com