The twin transition in agribusiness: a co-occurrence-driven literature review of digital sustainability

Abstract

This paper examines the twin transition, which is the strategic convergence of digitalisation and sustainability, as well as its potential to reconfigure contemporary agri-food systems. A systematic literature review was conducted using a bespoke workflow and text mining. Transcending conventional mapping, this research employed a co-occurrence-driven filtering framework and semantic normalisation. A thematic co-occurrence matrix served as the primary eligibility criterion for prioritising manuscripts for qualitative synthesis. The analysis identifies a duality of innovation: digital technologies – notably blockchain, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and digital twins – facilitate both incremental enhancements (e.g. operational efficiency) and disruptive reconfigurations. These advances fundamentally alter value chains, governance architectures and market dynamics through disintermediation and resource valorisation. While achieving significant analytical breadth, there is a trade-off regarding interpretative depth. Co-occurrence identifies semantic proximity but may overlook complex causal nuances. Future research should integrate advanced computational linguistics to capture subtle qualitative shifts. This research demonstrates that digital transition, if governed by foresight, can serve as a catalyst for economic justice. This work thus contributes to society by providing substantive guidance for producers, enterprises and policymakers to employ digitalisation not merely for profit maximisation but as a core strategy for global food security and the mitigation of climate impacts. This study is one of the inaugural explorations of the twin transition in agribusiness and thus provides an original integrative framework elucidating the interactions between digital tools and circular economy objectives across ten distinct sectors.