Smart Farming and the SDGs: Emerging Research Patterns and Sustainability Implications

Smart farming has established itself as a strategic field in the digital and sustainable transformation of the agri-food sector. The rise of technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, big data, and blockchain has revolutionized production systems, improving efficiency, sustainability, and adaptability to climate change. In this context, scientific research on smart farming has grown exponentially, becoming a key axis for the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The objective of this study was to analyze the evolution, structure, and impact of scientific production in smart farming, identifying its main trends, authors, journals, and contributions to the SDGs. To this end, a bibliometric analysis was applied to 1,580 articles indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) database, using productivity, citation, and impact indicators based on Price's, Lotka's, Bradford's, and Zipf's laws, as well as the Hirsch index. The results reveal important growth in scientific production between 2014 and 2024, with a strong concentration in high-impact journals and international collaboration networks. In conclusion, smart farming represents an engine of innovation and sustainability, integrating science, technology, and digital management to address the global challenges of food security, climate change, and sustainable development.