Bibliometric analysis and systematic review of compliance with agricultural certification standards: evidence from Africa and Asia

Agricultural certification standards establish critical sustainability principles which can deepen environmental and social responsibility within agri-food systems and increase compliant producers’ competitiveness. However, African and Asian farmers’ produce is rejected at the international markets due to non-compliance with certification schemes amid food safety and environmental and labour infractions. Meanwhile, there is a sparsity of a coherent review of the knowledge landscape related to certification standards compliance and its drivers’ even though top-level insights are needed. Therefore, this study performs a comprehensive systematic review and bibliometric analysis of existing literature to provide insights into publication trends, critical articles, and research sponsorship contributors. It was revealed that, specific certification schemes and value chains are under-represented, with Germany being the most influential contributor to agricultural certification compliance-related studies. While the effect of most factors are mixed in the existing literature, wealth, female household membership, years of certification, subsidy, social influence, government and donor support show positive effects. The study recommends increased international research partnerships to propel the development of the compliance knowledge area, which appears to be suffering maturation challenges, plus progressive research on compliance within the underrepresented contexts. Policy responses to upgrade producers’ financial capacity or lessen compliance cost are suggested.