Public management of technical assistance and sustainable development: a bibliometric analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23826089Keywords:
rural extension, agricultural policy, sustainable developmentAbstract
Agricultural technical assistance is a public policy tool. This study analyzed, from a social science perspective, the international scientific literature on agricultural technical assistance, sustainable agricultural practices, and productive diversification. A quantitative, descriptive, and retrospective longitudinal design was used. A search in Scopus yielded 3,619 records; after excluding other document types, incomplete years, subject areas outside the social sciences, and duplicates—in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 protocol—the corpus consisted of 1,101 articles and reviews published between 1983 and 2025. The data were processed using Bibliometrix and Biblioshiny through performance indicators and scientific mapping. Output grew at an annual rate of 13.43%, and 76.8% of the documents were published since 2016. 35.88% involve international co-authorship. The United States, Ethiopia, and South Africa lead in output based on the country of the corresponding author; Africa accounts for 31.7% of these documents, and Latin America, 5.2%. Reference spectroscopy shows that the field draws on the theory of innovation diffusion and the economics of adoption. The thematic map identifies agroecology as a driving theme and adoption and climate change as core themes, while diversification does not constitute a theme in its own right. Research in this field has focused primarily on how technical assistance promotes the adoption of sustainable practices and has given less attention to its impact on crop and income diversification, which limits the evaluation of public programs.
Downloads
References
Abeje, M. T., Tsunekawa, A., Adgo, E., Haregeweyn, N., Nigussie, Z., Ayalew, Z., Elias, A., Molla, D., & Berihun, D. (2019). Exploring drivers of livelihood diversification and its effect on adoption of sustainable land management practices in the upper Blue Nile basin, Ethiopia. Sustainability, 11(10), Article 2991. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11102991
Antwi-Agyei, P., & Stringer, L. C. (2021). Improving the effectiveness of agricultural extension services in supporting farmers to adapt to climate change: Insights from northeastern Ghana. Climate Risk Management, 32, Article 100304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2021.100304
Aria, M., & Cuccurullo, C. (2017). bibliometrix: An R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis. Journal of Informetrics, 11(4), 959–975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2017.08.007
Baas, J., Schotten, M., Plume, A., Côté, G., & Karimi, R. (2020). Scopus as a curated, high-quality bibliometric data source for academic research in quantitative science studies. Quantitative Science Studies, 1(1), 377–386. https://doi.org/10.1162/qss_a_00019
Barrett, C. B., Reardon, T., & Webb, P. (2001). Nonfarm income diversification and household livelihood strategies in rural Africa: Concepts, dynamics, and policy implications. Food Policy, 26(4), 315–331. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-9192(01)00014-8
Becerra-Encinales, J. F., Bernal-Hernandez, P., Beltrán-Giraldo, J. A., Cooman, A. P., Reyes, L. H., & Cruz, J. C. (2024). Agricultural extension for adopting technological practices in developing countries: A scoping review of barriers and dimensions. Sustainability, 16(9), Article 3555. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16093555
Birner, R., Davis, K., Pender, J., Nkonya, E., Anandajayasekeram, P., Ekboir, J., Mbabu, A., Spielman, D. J., Horna, D., Benin, S., & Cohen, M. (2009). From best practice to best fit: A framework for designing and analyzing pluralistic agricultural advisory services worldwide. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 15(4), 341–355. https://doi.org/10.1080/13892240903309595
Bryan, E., Deressa, T. T., Gbetibouo, G. A., & Ringler, C. (2009). Adaptation to climate change in Ethiopia and South Africa: Options and constraints. Environmental Science & Policy, 12(4), 413–426. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2008.11.002
Callon, M., Courtial, J. P., & Laville, F. (1991). Co-word analysis as a tool for describing the network of interactions between basic and technological research: The case of polymer chemistry. Scientometrics, 22(1), 155–205. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02019280
Cobo, M. J., López-Herrera, A. G., Herrera-Viedma, E., & Herrera, F. (2011). An approach for detecting, quantifying, and visualizing the evolution of a research field: A practical application to the fuzzy sets theory field. Journal of Informetrics, 5(1), 146–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2010.10.002
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070
Ellis, F. (1998). Household strategies and rural livelihood diversification. The Journal of Development Studies, 35(1), 1–38. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220389808422553
Feder, G., Just, R. E., & Zilberman, D. (1985). Adoption of agricultural innovations in developing countries: A survey. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 33(2), 255–298. https://doi.org/10.1086/451461
Feder, G., Murgai, R., & Quizon, J. B. (2004). Sending farmers back to school: The impact of farmer field schools in Indonesia. Review of Agricultural Economics, 26(1), 45–62. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9353.2003.00161.x
Fosu-Mensah, B. Y., Vlek, P. L. G., & MacCarthy, D. S. (2012). Farmers' perception and adaptation to climate change: A case study of Sekyedumase district in Ghana. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 14(4), 495–505. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-012-9339-7
Iorundu, G. S., & Egbunu, C. O. (2025). Navigating the landscape of artificial intelligence in agricultural extension services: A bibliometric analysis. International Journal of Agricultural Science, Research and Technology in Extension and Education Systems, 15(3), 161–172. https://doi.org/10.71505/ijasrt.2025.1206413
Jost, C., Kyazze, F., Naab, J., Neelormi, S., Kinyangi, J., Zougmore, R., Aggarwal, P., Bhatta, G., Chaudhury, M., Tapio-Bistrom, M.-L., Nelson, S., & Kristjanson, P. (2016). Understanding gender dimensions of agriculture and climate change in smallholder farming communities. Climate and Development, 8(2), 133–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2015.1050978
Kassie, M., Jaleta, M., Shiferaw, B., Mmbando, F., & Mekuria, M. (2013). Adoption of interrelated sustainable agricultural practices in smallholder systems: Evidence from rural Tanzania. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 80(3), 525–540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2012.08.007
Kassie, M., Teklewold, H., Jaleta, M., Marenya, P., & Erenstein, O. (2015). Understanding the adoption of a portfolio of sustainable intensification practices in eastern and southern Africa. Land Use Policy, 42, 400–411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2014.08.016
Knowler, D., & Bradshaw, B. (2007). Farmers' adoption of conservation agriculture: A review and synthesis of recent research. Food Policy, 32(1), 25–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2006.01.003
Marx, W., Bornmann, L., Barth, A., & Leydesdorff, L. (2014). Detecting the historical roots of research fields by reference publication year spectroscopy (RPYS). Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 65(4), 751–764. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.23089
McCord, P. F., Cox, M., Schmitt-Harsh, M., & Evans, T. (2015). Crop diversification as a smallholder livelihood strategy within semi-arid agricultural systems near Mount Kenya. Land Use Policy, 42, 738–750. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2014.10.012
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., … Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Piñeiro, V., Arias, J., Dürr, J., Elverdin, P., Ibáñez, A. M., Kinengyere, A., Opazo, C. M., Owoo, N., Page, J. R., Prager, S. D., & Torero, M. (2020). A scoping review on incentives for adoption of sustainable agricultural practices and their outcomes. Nature Sustainability, 3(10), 809–820. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-00617-y
Pretty, J., Toulmin, C., & Williams, S. (2011). Sustainable intensification in African agriculture. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 9(1), 5–24. https://doi.org/10.3763/ijas.2010.0583
Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). Free Press.
Rosset, P. M., Sosa, B. M., Jaime, A. M. R., & Lozano, D. R. Á. (2011). The Campesino-to-Campesino agroecology movement of ANAP in Cuba: Social process methodology in the construction of sustainable peasant agriculture and food sovereignty. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 38(1), 161–191. https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2010.538584
Sinha, A., & Nag, A. (2023). Mapping research contributions on agricultural extension in India: A bibliometric analysis. DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology, 43(3), 176–184. https://doi.org/10.14429/djlit.43.3.18837
Sun, B., Zhang, L., Yang, L., Zhang, F., Norse, D., & Zhu, Z. (2012). Agricultural non-point source pollution in China: Causes and mitigation measures. Ambio, 41(4), 370–379. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-012-0249-6
Takahashi, K., Muraoka, R., & Otsuka, K. (2020). Technology adoption, impact, and extension in developing countries' agriculture: A review of the recent literature. Agricultural Economics, 51(1), 31–45. https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.12539
Teklewold, H., Kassie, M., & Shiferaw, B. (2013). Adoption of multiple sustainable agricultural practices in rural Ethiopia. Journal of Agricultural Economics, 64(3), 597–623. https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-9552.12011
Van den Berg, H., & Jiggins, J. (2007). Investing in farmers—The impacts of farmer field schools in relation to integrated pest management. World Development, 35(4), 663–686. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2006.05.004
Zupic, I., & Čater, T. (2015). Bibliometric methods in management and organization. Organizational Research Methods, 18(3), 429–472. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428114562629
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The journal is licensed under the Attribution License (CC BY), allowing the possibility of copying, distributing, displaying, and producing derivative works, as long as the author is acknowledged and cited.
