Research

Seeking Partners

We’re actively developing new initiatives at the intersection of agriculture, technology, and national security. These projects are ready to move from concept to impact, and we’re seeking collaborators, funders, and field partners who share our commitment to securing food systems for the future.

Threat Modeling: Tabletop Wargames and Adversary Attack Tree

Our next wargame, planned for October 2026, will examine the strategic and security implications of agricultural technologies (AgTech), with a focus on drone-enabled surveillance and sabotage targeting farmland near sensitive military installations. Insights from the exercise, including participant input, gameplay dynamics, and identified vulnerabilities, will inform the development of a detailed adversary “attack tree.” This framework will map intrusion pathways, chokepoints, system interdependencies, and cascading failure points associated with AgTech and geostrategic farmland.

Risk Mapping and Vulnerability Analysis

This matrix will map how key threat vectors, such as supply chain chokepoints, cyberattacks, disinformation, biothreats, and foreign influence, intersect with core agricultural functions, including production, processing, storage, and distribution. Drawing on open-source threat data and research, the tool will categorize risks by likelihood and potential impact.

Soil Health and Productivity Pilots

This project tests innovative, commercially scalable farming practices to improve soil health, boost water retention, and sequester carbon in Arizona’s desert farming regions, which is vital to North America’s winter food supply . Through compost-based soil amendments and carbon tracking tools, the pilot evaluates how to reduce input dependency and enhance drought resilience without sacrificing yield. The goal is to develop scalable models that strengthen food system stability in the face of climate and water stress.

CTS Greenwaste

University of Arizona, Maricopa Agricultural Center

Dual-Use Drone Initiative: Rebuilding Ukraine’s Agricultural Security

As Russia weaponizes food exports and mines Ukraine’s farmland, restoring Ukrainian agricultural capacity is vital to global food stability and U.S. strategic interests. This initiative develops a modular drone platform designed for dual-use functionality—conducting both agricultural diagnostics, such as soil health and crop condition assessments, and humanitarian demining in conflict-affected rural areas. The system features interchangeable sensors and is operated via mobile units by trained local farmers or veterans. Initial testing will be conducted in partnership with U.S.-based universities and organizations in Ukraine.

Adversary Leverage in the U.S. Farm-to-Fork Supply Chain

Adversaries exploit U.S. food systems end to end, from farmland ownership and infrastructure control to cyberattacks and disinformation. This diagram shows how those dependencies threaten food security and national resilience.

From Seeds to Feed: China’s Leverage over U.S. Farms

China dominates critical farm inputs (biotech traits, fertilizer, crop chemicals, machinery, drones, and feed additives), leaving U.S. agriculture exposed to supply chain leverage in times of crisis.

Agriculture Supply Chain Vulnerabilities

From inputs to consumers, agriculture faces cascading risks: climate shocks, water stress, cyberattacks, political disruptions, and market bottlenecks. This diagram maps how vulnerabilities at each stage can ripple across the food system.