RESEARCH TRENDS IN INSTITUTIONAL PROMOTION OF ORGANIC FARMING FOR NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: A BIBLIOMETRIC AND SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

Organic farming is a vital approach to sustainable agriculture and natural resource management, but its implementation is still limited by fragmented institutional support, inconsistent policies, limited financial resources, and poor extension support. It is therefore crucial to understand the role of institutional mechanisms in shaping the adoption of organic agriculture and their contribution to natural resource management, if efficient policies and governance are to be designed and implemented for sustainable transformation in agriculture. The current study aims to propose a systematic literature review combined with a bibliometric analysis to synthesise the current evidence on institutional mechanisms, research trends and natural resource management outcomes in the context of organic farming. In line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) framework, 158 peer-reviewed articles in the Scopus database were selected and analysed. The publication trends, country-wise scientific production, word cloud analysis, thematic mapping, keyword co occurrence and conceptual research networks were analysed with bibliometric techniques, and thematic analysis was used to synthesise the institutional mechanisms, natural resource management outcomes and research gaps. The results show that research on institutional support for organic agri-food systems has grown significantly over the years, especially since 2016, reflecting the growing interest in sustainable agriculture and environmental governance globally. The largest contributors were Germany, Spain, Switzerland, China and India, and the main research themes were organic farming, conservation of natural resources, environmental protection, sustainability, and agriculture. The word cloud analysis highlighted the presence of the words "organic farming", "agriculture", "conservation of natural resources", "environmental protection", and "organic agriculture", indicating a clear focus on sustainable resource management and protecting the environment. The thematic map also highlighted the ongoing influence of sustainability and climate change on future research, in addition to agriculture, conservation of natural resources and environmental protection as well-developed motor themes. Extension services were found to be one critical pathway in enhancing farmers' ecological awareness, knowledge, and innovation uptake among these. Despite these advantages, there remain several institutional, technical and socio-economic factors that are hindering the broader use of organic farming, especially on small farms. Regardless of regional context, high conversion costs, temporary production loss during the transition period, nutrient deficiencies, certification costs, poor extension services, lack of access to organic inputs, market volatility and weak institutional coordination are recurring issues. This review gives a comprehensive synthesis of the institutional dimensions of organic farming and their links with sustainable natural resource management overall. They offer useful insights for policymakers, extension services, research institutions and development practitioners who are interested in building capacities of organic agriculture institutions and enhancing environmental results. An integrated institutional system that integrates policy support, certification, extension services, financial assistance, research, digital advisory systems and market development, but also considers their long-term environmental, economic and social impacts, in different agroecological and socio-economic contexts, requires future research. These are integrated approaches that will play a critical role in enhancing farmer resilience, ensuring natural resource conservation and promoting sustainable agricultural development.