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Plant Science Today (PST)

Review Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp2 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Gender equality and social inclusion in agricultural systems: A systematic review and bibliometric analysis

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.14862
Submitted
6 April 2026
Published
20-06-2026

Abstract

Gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) are generally accepted to be key in enhancing the sustainability, productivity and resilience of agricultural systems. Nevertheless, there is still a lot of inequality that limits women's access to important resources, including land, technology, markets and opportunities in decision-making. This paper represents a synthesis of the GESI literature in the agricultural field by investigating the emergence, theoretical framework and new themes of the literature using a synthesis of the literature in the form of a systematic literature review (SLR) coupled with a bibliometric analysis. The study analysed 118 peer-reviewed articles published between 2020 and 2025 and indexed on the Scopus database. This analysis was carried out based on preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, which involve the analysis of publication patterns, collaboration and key networks using
VOSviewer and R-based tools. The results reveal that there is a high concentration of studies on women's empowerment, gender roles and household-level decision-making and an increasing interest in other areas like climate resilience, adoption of technology and engagement in value chains. Despite of these developments, the current literature is fragmented, especially in the areas of intersectionality, governance and digital inclusion. Social norms, unequal allocation of resources, labour constraints, institutional barriers and climate risks are the most significant structural factors that influence GESI outcomes. The results highlight the importance of gender-transformative and intersectional approaches to build inclusive and resilient agrifood systems.

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