Grain and food security as a tool of biopolitics: real-time Internet monitoring and crisis management

Abstract

Introduction and Methods. The aim of this study was to perform real-time monitoring of the interest on the Internet in topics related to "food security," "poisoned grain," and "pesticides" in central-eastern (CE) Europe (mainly Poland) in April 2023, with a focus on crisis management in context of food and information security. The article explores the phases of media coverage during the climax period and identifies the involvement of right/left-wing, mainstream, and Kremlin propaganda narratives.

Results.We differentiate the following phases of the interest: 1) farmers protests in CE Europe; 2) a peak phase with mainstream media attention on April 14, characterised by negative sentiment; 3) mixed right-left phase with high traffic and small reach; 4) a commenting phase with traditional media engagement from April 17; and finally, 5) a Kremlin propaganda phase targeting the internal market on April 18-19, with limited impact on the Polish infosphere, but entering Bulgaria and Romania's infosphere.

Conclusions. The success of the misinformation campaign is highlighted in the context of food security. The study suggests that the Kremlin aims to exploit existing problems and conflicts to generate disputes between Poland, Ukraine, and the EU. The role of other internal and external forces in affecting the information landscape is considered. Overall, this study aims to provide insights into handling misinformation and crisis management in the domain of food security.