A systematic literature review on adoption and impact of micro-irrigation

Abstract

ABSTRACT Water is an indispensable resource, and it is crucial for sustaining human life and agriculture. Nowadays, the share of water for agriculture is also shrinking. In the agricultural sector, micro-irrigation (MI) has emerged as a prominent technology for the efficient utilization of available water. However, understanding the adoption and impact of this technology is essential for its success. While existing studies on MI technologies were often limited to specific locations, this study addressed this gap by analysing 160 documents from the Scopus database through a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis with thematic clustering. The study examined influential authors and nations, keyword co-occurrences, co-citations, and collaborations among authors and institutions. VOSviewer was utilized for bibliometric analysis. The research trend showed a steady increase in MI studies, with Zaccaria D. being the most productive author and the United States being the most influential country with several publications. Agricultural Water Management emerged as the most impactful journal, with Coelho E.F. being the most cited author. Additionally, three thematic clusters, namely effects of irrigation water, weed growth and crop yield, and irrigation and organic cultivation, were identified and discussed.