Understanding Farm Income Divergence in Rural Economy

A Bibliometric Mapping with Evidence on Livestock Sector Dynamics

Abstract

This bibliometric study provides an overview of the global literature on the research topics of farm income divergence and the role of livestock as a moderator of income diversification, stabilization, and resilience. Bibliographic records from the Scopus and Web of Science databases were retrieved using an inclusive Boolean query and analysed using the bibliometrix R package (Biblioshiny). After merging, cleaning, and normalizing all the metadata, we present findings based on 1,825 unique publications through performance, collaboration, citation, and conceptual structure analysis. The study observes an upward trend since 1984, an accelerated growth since 2014, a reduction in unit cost, and an increase in efficiency that indicates a mature domain in its productive phase. Raw and citation-based outputs are highest for Agricultural Systems, followed by Sustainability, Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, and Food Policy, reflecting disciplinary versus policy focus. Author and institution analyses show concentrated collaboration explains most variance in productivity. For example, ZHANG Y. and WANG J. each wrote many articles but extensively co-author other authors, thus ranking lower in fractionalized output than total output. The leading institutions include the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and Wageningen University. While the US and China have the enormous majority of national publications, other countries like the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and Australia are cited more frequently for a smaller overall contribution. In terms of conceptual mapping, poverty alleviation and sustainability and resilience are increasingly utilized for research on income from livestock. Highly cited works such as Barrett (2001), Haggblade (2010), and Zhou (2020) serve as intellectual anchors of the field. Overall, the findings demonstrate a mature, interdisciplinary, and progressively globalized knowledge domain shaped by collaborative networks and growing attention to equity and resilience in agricultural livelihoods.