Smart Farming and Digital Agriculture: A Bibliometric Perspective on Past, Present and Future Research Trends

The intersection of agriculture and technology is increasingly vital in addressing global challenges such as food security, climate change and sustainable productivity. Understanding the evolution of this field provides insights into research priorities and innovation pathways. This bibliometric review analyzes peer-reviewed literature from the Scopus database to map developments at the agriculture- technology nexus. Citation, co-citation and co-word analyses were used to identify influential publications, intellectual structures and thematic trends. The study focused on country-level contributions, keyword clusters and foundational literature. Contributors to the field include China, the United States and India. Research is notably clustered around topics such as remote sensing, climate-smart agriculture and decision support systems. Co-citation analysis highlighted foundational studies that shape the intellectual core, while co-word analysis identified emerging themes like smart farming, sustainability and automation. Limitations of the study include language and database bias, exclusion of non-indexed works and overreliance on citation metrics. Additionally, high costs and infrastructural challenges limit the adoption of advanced technologies in developing regions. The study advocates for integrating qualitative methods and expanding data sources in future bibliometric research. Strategic insights are offered to support researchers, practitioners and policymakers navigating the digital transformation of agriculture.