A bibliometric and thematic approach to agriculture 4.0

Researchers are developing digital solutions for agriculture. Humanity has perfected agriculture throughout history because this activity is fundamental to our existence. The agricultural sector is currently incorporating new technologies from other areas. This phenomenon is agriculture 4.0. However, a challenge to research is the integration of technologies from different knowledge fields, and this has caused theoretical and practical difficulties. Thus, our purpose with this study has been to understand the core agriculture 4.0 research themes. We have used a bibliometric analysis, and guided the data collection by the PRISMA protocol. VosViewer and Bibliometrix software generated the results. We found two main research fronts, one focussed on agriculture 4.0 development, and another on the impacts of agriculture 4.0, which may be positive or negative. We found 21 main keywords or topics researched in agriculture 4.0 related to these research fronts. These themes are within five different axes. We managed to establish a good understanding of the topics around agriculture 4.0. Future studies could focus on the responsible development of digital solutions for agriculture. This is because the social, environmental, and economic impacts of these new solutions may be positive or negative. We conclude that digital agriculture is the node technologies integration for the automation of agricultural activities.