Precision agriculture: A bibliometric analysis and research agenda

Abstract

The emergence of precision agriculture (PA) has brought a radical change in the agriculture sector and significantly contributed to agronomic development. In recent years, academic research on PA has increased at an unprecedented pace. However, a comprehensive picture of how PA can benefit the agriculture sector is still lacking. In addition, there is a clear scarcity of studies on PA that evaluate the impact of this paradigm on agriculture resources and inform practitioners about the importance of data-driven farming and agriculture. Therefore, we attempted to employ a bibliometric method to ascertain the current state-of-the-art and dynamics of PA. The findings of the analysis highlighted four distinct phases and the most predominant enabling technologies in PA. Additionally, we reviewed the key trends and put forth insightful recommendations for future research by researchers and practitioners. In terms of contributions, this review developed an integrative framework comprising PA-related technologies, PA application areas, and PA advantages. Furthermore, the challenges of PA were identified and categorized into four broad groups. Finally, the study's novelty resides in its systematization of the PA literature and its recommendations of several research directions for advancing PA in the agriculture sector.

Keywords

• Precision agriculture
• Sustainability
• Advantages
• Barriers
• Bibliometric