Technological innovation for sustainable development: Is agricultural and food nanotechnology a viable alternative?

Nanoscience and nanotechnology are two sources of cutting-edge scientific and technological knowledge that provide innovative solutions for different fields of specialization on a scale of 10⁻⁹ m. Their relationship with agriculture and food production is fairly recent. The extensive development of contemporary tools and techniques in the field points to a promising potential, although working intensively and simultaneously on security, legislation, regulations, ethics, and other elements to guarantee their feasibility and commercialization is essential to seize that potential. The purposes of the present study were, first, to present an overview of basic research on agricultural and food nanotechnology, and second, to carry out a patent analysis to outline the technological potential of these disciplines. For these purposes, bibliographic data were modeled using networks. Then, data on granted patents (current technology) and patent applications (technological trends) were also subjected to network modeling tools to identify thematic clusters and nodes of interest, as well as other important indicators, such as the main technological sectors, countries, and applicants. Our results show an interesting dynamic that portrays the multidisciplinary task of nanotechnology, its key actors and current topics of discussion, dominant technologies, and emerging technologies over time in the context of both basic research and concrete application.