A Systematic Literature Review of Agriculture Knowledge Management in KM and non-KM Journals

This paper discusses the contrast in approach to agriculture knowledge management (AKM) empirical research between mainstream Knowledge Management (KM) scholars and scholars from non-KM fields, and the implications of this contrast to the development of AKM scholarship. The paper uses a systematic literature review, gathering papers from both mainstream KM literature and non-KM literature. A total of 44 peer-reviewed publications were analysed. Of these, 12 publications were from the mainstream KM literature while 32 publications were from the wider non-KM literature but had an agriculture knowledge management focus. While KM scholars predominantly conducted AKM research in structured, organized settings such as agriculture organisations and agri-business enterprises, scholars from non-KM fields, mostly agriculture, conducted AKM research in less formal settings, engaging farmers and local communities in research and exploring the indigenous knowledge that arises out of such communities. This contrast shows a disconnect in the studies conducted by the two groups of scholars. The disconnect is also reflected in the fact that the scholars from the different backgrounds do not cite one another and hence AKM literature does not have any coherent development. This paper offers an overall picture of the existing knowledge of AKM, and provides pointers for future AKM research.