Muhammad Arsyad 1,*, Pardamean Daulay2, Rudy Kurniawan3, Deviana Mayasari3, Andi Amran Sulaiman 1, Muhamad Chairul Basrun Umanailo4, Abd Haris Bahrun 5, Andi Nuddin6, Letty Fudjaja1, Rahma Khaerati7, Busige Nishantha8 and Muhammad Fuad Anshori 6
1Department of Agricultural Socio-economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Hasanuddin; 2Department of Sociology, Faculty of Law, Social and Political Studies, Universitas Terbuka; 3Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Political Studies, Universitas Sriwijaya; 4Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Universitas Iqra Buru; 5Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Hasanuddin; 6Department of Agribusiness, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Muhammadiyah Parepare; 7Department of Agribusiness, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sulawesi Barat; 8Department of Management and Organization Studies, Faculty of Management and Finance, University of Colombo
*Corresponding author: arsyad@unhas.ac.id
Food security, agricultural sustainability, and farmers’ adaptation to changing socio-economic and environmental conditions remain major global challenges. This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of research at the intersection of agricultural economics and value chains, with particular emphasis on its contributions to farmers’ social adaptation and sustainable development. This study used a systematic bibliometric approach to examine the intellectual structure, research trends, and thematic evolution of agricultural value chain studies. We retrieved relevant publications from the Scopus database using a Boolean search strategy applied to the TITLE-ABS-KEY fields, incorporating terms related to agriculture, economic transformation, value chains, supply chains, economic impacts, local knowledge, and farmers. The initial search identified 4,035 records, which were screened using a PRISMA-inspired framework. After title and abstract screening (n = 2,024), we assessed eligibility for 1,835 articles, retaining 1,174 for the final bibliometric analysis. The dataset was analyzed using Bibliometrix through its Biblioshiny interface and VOSviewer (version 1.6.20). The analyses included annual scientific production; leading authors and journals; international collaboration networks; keyword co-occurrence; thematic evolution; multiple correspondence analysis; co-authorship; bibliographic coupling; citation and co-citation networks; and emerging research trends. The findings revealed substantial growth in agricultural value chain research since 2010, with sustainability, food security, and supply chain management emerging as prominent research themes. More recently, growing attention to machine learning and digital agriculture reflects a shift toward data-driven, technology-oriented approaches. Nevertheless, the field remains conceptually fragmented, with limited integration of technological, environmental, socio-economic, and socio-cultural perspectives. In particular, the relatively low prominence of local knowledge and farmers’ adaptation in keyword networks indicates that these dimensions receive comparatively limited attention. The concentration of research output in a relatively small number of countries further suggests geographical imbalances in knowledge production. Thematic mapping also revealed differences in the development and centrality of research themes, highlighting opportunities for greater interdisciplinary integration. Overall, these findings provide a comprehensive overview of the development of agricultural value chain research and identify important directions for future studies, particularly those integrating technological innovation, environmental sustainability, local knowledge, and farmers’ adaptive capacities to support more inclusive and resilient agricultural systems.