Adoption of robotics and artificial intelligence in agriculture

Resumen

Objective: to analyze research trends on the adoption of robotics and artificial intelligence in agriculture between 2020 and 2025.

Design/ Methodology/ Approach: this research is based on a systematic review and bibliometric analysis of articles on robotics and artificial intelligence in agriculture; which were retrieved from the Scopus database. Key players, core topics, and implementation strategies were identified in those articles. Subsequently, the main advantages and challenges, were analyzed in the well-known strategies. Our findings were contextualized with studies on agricultural mechanization and technology transfer to provide a comprehensive perspective looking forward to their adoption.

Results: analysis showed that this technological framework, although emerging, has experienced sustained growth in recent years. India and the United States are notable as the countries with the greatest scientific production. Thematic clusters revealed a shift in dominant terminology, moving from concepts such as "agriculture 4.0" and "agricultural robots" to "smart agriculture" and "digitalization." Relevant barriers, such as financial and technical limitations, were also identified along with some effective strategies applied in other regions.

Limitations/ Implications of the study: this study is limited to Scopus-indexed publications, as well as documents in English and Spanish. However, it offers valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders in the agriculture sector.

Findings/ Conclusions: our research underscores the need to design tailored strategies to overcome adoption barriers, especially among small-sized and medium-sized farmers. The importance of participatory approaches, cooperative models, and the use of multifunctional robots is emphasized as key tools to facilitate effective technology adoption, and to address current challenges.