Mapping global research on interactions of conventional, organic, and natural farming systems and soil health with respect to microbiomes and greenhouse gas emissions

Abstract

Sustainable agricultural practices are receiving increasing scientific attention for their potential to mitigate climate change, support food production, and maintain long-term soil health. Conventional, organic, and natural farming systems differ substantially in management practices and their relationships with soil microbial communities, carbon dynamics, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study integrates bibliometric mapping with a targeted synthesis of experimental evidence to characterize global research trends concerning these farming systems, soil health, microbiomes, carbon sequestration, GHG emissions, and agricultural productivity. Publications indexed in the Web of Science during 2015–2024 were screened, and bibliographic data were analyzed using VOSviewer to assess publication trends and keyword co-occurrence patterns. Following screening and duplicate removal, 118 articles were retained. The analysis identified three major thematic clusters for each farming system. Research on conventional farming centred on microbial activity, agricultural management, soil properties, carbon dynamics, and GHG emissions; organic farming emphasized microbial diversity, soil carbon, organic amendments, soil fertility, and GHG emissions; while natural farming focused primarily on microbial inputs, soil health, carbon pools, and sustainable soil management. The literature synthesis identified 21 of the most-cited experimental studies addressing microbial dynamics and 15 examining GHG emissions. Collectively, the reviewed evidence indicated greater microbial activity and diversity under organic and natural farming than under conventional management, along with reduced GHG emissions in several comparative studies. However, the magnitude of these benefits varied with crop, soil, climatic, and management conditions. The analysis highlights a research gap in long-term, integrated assessments of soil microbial processes, GHG fluxes, and crop productivity across diverse agro-climatic regions. Overall, this study provides a bibliometric and thematic framework for understanding the evolution, knowledge structure, and emerging research priorities linking sustainable farming practices, soil microbiomes, and climate-change mitigation.