Bridging the governance gap in agricultural blockchain-based smart contracts: a bibliometric-driven architectural framework

Abstract

Background Agricultural supply chains are characterized by high transaction costs and agency risks stemming from information asymmetry and biological variability. Although blockchain is widely proposed as a solution, existing literature predominantly focuses on passive traceability rather than active algorithmic governance. Methods This study conducts a bibliometric synthesis of 367 documents (2018–2025) to map the field’s intellectual structure and research orientation. Co-occurrence analysis was employed to reveal distinct thematic clusters and identify the evolution of technological infrastructure in the sector. Results The analysis reveals a critical volume-impact paradox within the technological infrastructure group and a 16:1 asymmetry between traceability and automation research. This indicates a significant gap in leveraging smart contracts for economic enforcement and active supply chain management. Conclusion We propose the Agri-Cognito framework, a prescriptive architecture designed to bridge the cognitive void through AI-driven pre-consensus validation. The framework provides a theoretical blueprint for transitioning agricultural blockchains from passive digital logbooks to autonomous governance ecosystems, offering a direct response to the “oracle problem” and structural inefficiencies in current implementations.