Research focuses and trends in organic farming: A bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Organic farming (OF) is gaining prominence as a potentially sustainable agricultural approach. We map the intellectual structure of research in OF using Web of Science data since 1991 to 2023 using bibliometric methods. The motivation was to understand how themes have changed over time in response to global challenges such as food insecurity, climate change, and sustainability transitions. Most articles in OF demonstrate an increasing interest and priority for environmental issues. Similarly, green and sustainable science and technology show substantial research activity beyond 2000, which exhibits the increasing interest in technology and sustainability issues to enhance soil fertility and biodiversity, combat climate change, and promote food security. In fields such as arbuscular mycorrhizal, mycotoxins, compost manure, spectrometry, and regenerative organic agriculture, natural techniques and technology-based research solutions are used to maximize crop yields and ecosystem durability in order to achieve sustainable production. However, an integrated and multidisciplinary strategy is required, linking soil science with technology use, to maximize soil quality, nutrient balance, and disease control in OF.