Technological Trends in Smart Agriculture

The agricultural sector, as one of the important capacities, can play an indispensable role in the economic development of a country. The use of technology in this field plays a vital role in increasing production, enhancing efficiency, and accessing global markets. Advances in emerging technologies have led to a paradigm shift in the agricultural sector. Currently, this revolution, based on digital technologies, is considered a flexible and sustainable solution for transforming agriculture. The aim of this research is to investigate technological trends and their functions in the agricultural value chain towards a successful transition to smart agriculture.

This research is practical in terms of its objective and systematic in terms of data collection. The statistical population of this study includes all English articles published in the field of smart agriculture between 2011 and 2022, available in the Web of Science and Scopus databases. In the first stage, 3257 articles were identified and entered into Vos viewer for scient metric analysis. Then, using the research question and the Prisma approach, 33 articles were selected for full-text qualitative study.

In the quantitative section of this research, using knowledge maps, the growth trend of scientific articles in this field, the determination of journals, research centers, and active countries, identification of authors with the most articles, identification of scientific networks, and evaluation of their influence were determined. In the qualitative section, the research shows that the Internet of Things (IoT) is the most important technological domain in the agricultural sector. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, blockchain, wireless sensor networks, remote sensing, sensors, cloud computing, fog and edge computing, and low-power wide-area networks are classified as convergent technologies and categorized into four groups: data collection, computation and communication, data security and integration, and prediction and classification. It is expected that the generated knowledge will serve as an important basis for managers and policymakers to have a desirable impact on the strategies, policies, and development programs in the agricultural sector.

Based on the identified trends, the government, through the adoption of measures and the creation of appropriate frameworks such as the development of technical infrastructure, investment in human capital, support for research and development, encouragement of smart agriculture, financial support, and the development of guaranteed markets, can contribute to the development of smart agriculture and increased productivity in this sector. Ultimately, this can lead to sustainable development and the enhancement of the country's capabilities.