Carlos Barroso-Barroso

Business models are increasingly recognized as key architectures that may help coordinate technological, organizational, social, and territorial innovations in sustainable agriculture. This study conducts a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of 325 publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection (2002–2026) to map the epistemic, conceptual, and intellectual structure of research on business models for building sustainable agriculture. Using Price’s, Lotka’s, Bradford’s, and Zipf’s laws, along with co-citation analysis, the study examines temporal growth, author productivity, journal concentration, thematic clusters, and foundational literature. Results suggest exponential growth in scientific production, strong alignment with SDGs related to food security, circular economy, climate action, and biodiversity, and a highly concentrated intellectual core centered on business model design, sustainability transitions, and digital transformation. Four thematic clusters emerge: innovation and agricultural systems; management, governance, and business models; sustainability and climate-energy dynamics; and challenges, assessment, and ecosystem services. Co-citation analysis reveals three major axes shaping the field: strategic business model design, circular and sustainable value creation, and digital and territorial transformation of agri-food systems. Overall, the findings suggest that sustainable agriculture may benefit from hybrid business models integrating technological innovation, circularity, governance, and multi-actor collaboration.

Smart farming integrates digital technologies to optimize agricultural production and promote sustainability. Its impact depends both on technological development and adoption by farmers. Research shows significant progress, but technical and socio-behavioral gaps remain, requiring integrated approaches to strengthen its contribution to the SDGs. In this context, scientific research on smart farming has grown significantly, becoming a key axis for the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of this study was to analyze the evolution, structure, and impact of scientific production in smart farming, identifying its main trends, authors, journals, and contributions to the SDGs. To this end, a bibliometric analysis was applied to 1580 articles indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) database, using productivity, citation, and impact indicators based on Price’s, Lotka’s, Bradford’s, and Zipf’s laws, as well as the Hirsch index. The results reveal important growth in scientific production between 2014 and 2024, with a strong concentration in high-impact journals and international collaboration networks. In conclusion, smart farming represents an engine of innovation and sustainability, integrating science, technology, and digital management to address the global challenges of food security, climate change, and sustainable development.

Smart farming has established itself as a strategic field in the digital and sustainable transformation of the agri-food sector. The rise of technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, big data, and blockchain has revolutionized production systems, improving efficiency, sustainability, and adaptability to climate change. In this context, scientific research on smart farming has grown exponentially, becoming a key axis for the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The objective of this study was to analyze the evolution, structure, and impact of scientific production in smart farming, identifying its main trends, authors, journals, and contributions to the SDGs. To this end, a bibliometric analysis was applied to 1,580 articles indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) database, using productivity, citation, and impact indicators based on Price's, Lotka's, Bradford's, and Zipf's laws, as well as the Hirsch index. The results reveal important growth in scientific production between 2014 and 2024, with a strong concentration in high-impact journals and international collaboration networks. In conclusion, smart farming represents an engine of innovation and sustainability, integrating science, technology, and digital management to address the global challenges of food security, climate change, and sustainable development.