Cybersecurity Challenges and Preparedness of Government-Supported Agricultural SMEs in Rural and Sparsely Populated Areas of Pakistan

Sammanfattning

Abstract The fast pace of digitalization of the agriculture sector inspired this study to investigate the cybersecurity preparedness of agriculture-focused SMEs supported by the government in the rural and sparsely populated regions of Pakistan. The study's overarching objective was to understand the cybersecurity issues that these SMEs are experiencing, their perceptions of cybersecurity and their readiness to defend against and respond to cyber incidents. The study was encouraged by the rural digital divide an idea that examines how infrastructure, digital literacy, and institutional resources influence technology uptake and cybersecurity preparedness in rural areas. The qualitative exploratory research design was used in this study to offer in-depth and context specific insights into the experiences of rural agricultural SMEs. In order to collect the primary data, seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with the agricultural SME owners, farm managers, agricultural officers and representatives of rural development from various regions of Pakistan. Purposive sampling was used with the help of snowball sampling to select the participants due to their direct involvement in digital agricultural operation and government initiatives. The interview data was transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis which was used to identify themes that repeated in the data pertaining to cybersecurity awareness, cyber incidents, cybersecurity preparedness practices, and cybersecurity barriers to implementing. The findings of the study indicate that digital technologies such as WhatsApp, mobile banking applications including EasyPaisa and JazzCash, online agricultural services, and government subsidy portals are increasingly being used by rural agricultural SMEs to improve communication, financial transactions, and farm management. The present study found that cybersecurity awareness among participants was generally low and largely limited to basic concerns such as phishing scams, and protection of personal accounts. The research further revealed that cybersecurity practices among rural SMEs were mostly reactive and informal. Common measures included changing passwords, using antivirus software, enabling two-factor authentication, and avoiding suspicious links. This research contributes to the existing literature by connecting cybersecurity preparedness, rural digital divide theory, and agricultural digitalization within the context of government-supported rural SMEs in Pakistan