نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
نویسنده
پژوهشکده فناوری اطلاعات و ارتباطات جهاد دانشگاهی، تهران، ایران
چکیده
کلیدواژهها
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Objectives
In today’s world, the digitalization of agriculture can address part of the challenges this sector is currently facing. To this end, emerging technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution—particularly blockchain—have been introduced as transformative solutions aimed at enhancing productivity and sustainability in the agricultural sector. This study aims to map and analyze the scientific landscape of blockchain in the agricultural sector based on the international research.
Method
This research is a quantitative and applied research. It has been conducted using scientometric methods and bibliometric analysis with the help of RStudio software and the biblioshiny tool. The systematic review and literature review were carried out to identify the applications of blockchain in agriculture, facilitate the development of search strategies for conducting the bibliometric analysis in the domain under investigation, and support the interpretation of the bibliometric findings. Subsequently, for bibliometric analysis, search strategy was developed and finalized in the Scopus citation database. Strategy was executed separately, and data were extracted. The resulting records were refined for preparation to be imported into RStudio. Following this, bibliometric analyses were conducted using the biblioshiny tool, employing citation analysis, co-word analysis, co-occurrence analysis, social structure analysis, and ownership structure analysis.
Results
According to the systematic review, blockchain applications in agriculture were identified in four domains: agricultural supply chain management; data transparency and security; financial services and smart contracts; and sustainable development. Based on the bibliometric analysis, the growth trends of scientific production, highly influential sources, the most frequently used keywords and their co-occurrence patterns, major thematic clusters, the social and ownership structure of published research, and the network of international collaborations were extracted. The findings indicate a significant increase in attention to blockchain technologies in agriculture in recent years, with a shift from traditional models toward intelligent and innovative applications. Based on the key thematic clusters and systematic review findings, certain research areas in blockchain in agriculture remain underexplored and require further attention such as data security and sustainable development that need to be prioritized in future studies. Additionally, the integration of artificial intelligent and internet of things in blockchain research remains a crucial and evolving research area that warrants further investigation. Domain examined in this study offers considerable potential for research and technological advancements at the international level. India and China are among the leading and influential countries in blockchain in agriculture, playing a key intermediary role in scientific development and international collaborations while also being knowledge producers.
Conclusion
Researchers and technologists can leverage the results of the systematic review to identify and select the core research and technological themes for their studies. To enhance the visibility of Iranian research findings, researchers should focus on publishing in the recommended journals in this research, and efforts should be made to facilitate their access to these resources by Iranian higher education and research institutions. Also, it is also recommended that intermediary and supporting institutions—such as the Vice President for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy, the Innovation and Prosperity Fund, and the Iran National Science Foundation—enhance the motivation for conducting joint international research through collaborative calls with leading countries such as India, China, and United Kingdom by providing research and development grants. Considering the gradual maturation of blockchain in agriculture and its growing impact on sustainability, traceability, data security, and supply chain management, it is recommended that farmers be regarded not merely as end-users, but as active contributors to research and technology development.
The author solely conducted all stages of the study, including conceptualization, methodology, data collection, analysis, writing, and editing.
Not applicable
Acknowledgements
This study is derived from a research project entitled “Science mapping on emerging digital technologies (AI, IoT, and Blockchain) in the agriculture sector based on the international research”, with the project code 4026137. The study was funded by Iran National Science Foundation (INSF) and conducted at the Research Institute for Information and Communication Technology, ACECR.
Ethical considerations
The author avoided data fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and misconduct.
The author declares no conflict of interest.
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