Multifunctional agriculture in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Bibliometric review

Abstract

The aim of this work was to analyse the systemic structure of multifunctional agriculture (MFA) and its nexus with sustainability through a bibliometric review of existing literature. By monitoring articles published on the Web of Science platform, a sample of 432 documents was identified. Two software packages, Bibliometrix and VOSviewer, were used to map scientific collaboration networks. The results made it possible to identify the authors, journals, and countries that had given rise to the current structure of knowledge. Four broad thematic clusters were identified: a) MFA and sustainability; b) ecosystem services and biodiversity; c) European public policies; d) governance and urban agriculture. It is concluded that despite an increase in publication rates research is concentrated in Europe, and, furthermore, there are few collaborative networks between different disciplines, suggesting that SDG17 is not being achieved.