Visual indicators of soil health in agroforestry: a global bibliometric synthesis (2000–2024)
Keywords:
Agroforestería, calidad del suelo, macrofauna, indicadores biológicos, resiliencia climáticaAbstract
This original research aimed to quantify and analyze the scientific production generated between 2000 and 2024 on the correlation between Rapid Visual Indicators, edaphoclimatic parameters, and macrofauna bioindicators of Agroforestry Systems. Through a bibliometric study design and a systematic evidence mapping, a search strategy based on Boolean operators was applied in Scopus, Web of Science, and Dimensions. The identification process yielded a total of 209 primary scientific articles. After the rigorous application of the PICO eligibility criteria, 200 studies were excluded, resulting in a final corpus of only 9 investigations that met all the requirements of statistical validity. The data analysis, carried out through narrative synthesis and a bibliometric model in R, allowed the discovery of significant correlations between these specific indicators and quantitative measurements of organic matter. The robustness of these variables showed a critical dependence on the type of Agroforestry Systems and the regional bioclimatic context. It is concluded that, although Rapid Visual Indicators are low-cost tools with high potential for participatory monitoring, there is an alarming research gap. The small number of eligible studies underscores the need for multiscale validations to consolidate the reliability of these indicators for their global technical adoption.
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