Sustainable intensification of agriculture as a tool to promote food security: A bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Sustainable intensification (SI) of agriculture is required to satisfy the growing populations' nutritional needs, and therefore food security while limiting negative environmental impacts. The study aims to investigate the global scientific output of sustainable intensification research from 2010 to 20 August 2021. The data was retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection and was analyzed using a bibliometric method and VOS viewer to determine the most productive countries and organizations by collaboration analysis, including the keywords to analyze the research hotspots and trends, and the most cited publications in the field. From the 1,610 studies published in the theme of sustainable agriculture by 6,346 authors belonging to 1,981 organizations and 115 countries, the study found an increased number of publications and citations in 2020, with 293 publications and 10,275 citations. The United States ranked highest in countries collaborating with the most publications in the field. The occurrence of keywords like “food security”, “climate change”, “agriculture”, “ecosystem services”, “conservation agriculture”, “Sub-Sahara Africa”, “Africa”, “biodiversity”, and “maize” in both author and all keywords (author and index) reveal the significance of sustainable intensification in Africa, as a solution to food insecurity under climate change conditions. The availability of funding agencies from big economies explains the growing interest by developing countries in the SI of agriculture research due to the growing population, food insecurity, and access to limited land for farming.

Ecosystem Services in the Milpa System: A Systematic Review

“…In the same study and others, it was mentioned how polycultures improved the carbon sequestration levels and aided on leveraging the impacts of monocultures (Ansari et al 2022, Jeswani et al 2018. Ajibade et al (2023) emphasized the need to address the increasing vulnerability of soil to climate change and biodiversity loss. This call was supported by the study of Babu et al (2023), who, through a three-year experimental analysis, demonstrated that polycultures, particularly the combination of maize with beans and buckwheat, produced a total carbon deposit of over 24.9 and 23.0 tons/ha at soil depths of 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm, respectively.…”

“…Ajibade et al (2023), Goettsch et al (2021), Helms et al (2021), Lami et al (2023) and Wang et al (2020) who accentuated the importance of the polycultures such as the milpa system for genetic diversity. Similarly, Landaverde-González et al (2017) and Dively et al (2020) advocated for the recovery of traditional crops, including wildflowers to attract pollinators that contribute to maintaining biodiversity and the health and stability of ecosystems.…”

Coordination Analysis of Sustainable Agricultural Development in Northeast China from the Perspective of Spatiotemporal Relationships

“…Ahmad Bathaei et al discovered that surveys on sustainable agricultural development in developed countries primarily concentrate on environmental concerns [81]. S. Ajibade et al found that most developing regions, including Africa, place a greater emphasis on research regarding sustainable intensification of agriculture [82]. Typically, residents prioritize food safety and nutrition due to high agricultural productivity and the abundant supply of agricultural products in developed countries.…”

An In-depth Investigation of the Pertinent Challenges Inherent in Hydroponics, Aeroponics, Aquaponics, and the Efficacy of Bioponics-based Organic Solutions in Mitigating Them

“…In controlling pests and illnesses, however, the use of biological control agents (BCAs) has showed promise. Beneficial nematodes, parasitoids, and predatory insects are examples of BCAs that may efficiently manage pest populations and lessen the need for chemical pesticides [8].…”