Framing social impacts in digital agriculture: A systematic review of Agriculture 4.0 assessment studies

Agriculture 4.0 is increasingly promoted as a pathway towards more sustainable agri-food systems, yet its social consequences remain insufficiently understood in research and policy debates. This article examines how empirical research on digital agricultural transitions has conceptualised, assessed and framed the social impacts of Agriculture 4.0, with particular attention to the methodological approaches adopted and the social dimensions (i.e., opportunities and risks) addressed in the recent scientific literature. Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, 35 studies were analysed. We examine the technologies and agri-food sectors addressed, the regions in which the research was conducted, the main social opportunities and risks identified, and the key methodological gaps and future research directions that shape how social impacts are rendered visible and interpreted. The results indicate a predominance of technology-centred approaches focused on precision and smart farming tools. The reported opportunities mainly concern productivity, efficiency and labour-related benefits, whereas the risks centre on labour displacement, unequal access to technologies and emerging data governance challenges within increasingly digitalised and data-driven agri-food systems. Future research should strengthen comparative approaches and integrate the perspectives of actors who remain underrepresented in current configurations of knowledge production on agricultural digitalisation. Overall, the study shows that these social impacts can be understood through three interrelated analytical dimensions, namely socio-technical and labour transformations, distributive and justice-related issues, and methodological framings, which together should inform future research and policy design. The review offers guidance to policymakers and innovation actors seeking to foster more inclusive and socially responsive digital agricultural transitions.