Smart Agricultural Technology
Agriculture is undergoing a rapid digital transformation that challenges its ecological, social, and ethical foundations. A total of 136 documents were analysed through bibliometric and thematic synthesis. Results show that A5.0 represents a philosophical and structural evolution beyond the efficiency-oriented logic of A4.0, integrating distributed computing, explainable artificial intelligence, digital twins, and collaborative robotics within ecologically restorative and socially inclusive frameworks. However, while A5.0 strengthens resource efficiency, resilience, and certain social segments through open-source technologies and participatory design, gaps remain in policy coherence, emotional engagement, and human–machine co-learning. To address these, the study proposes two complementary agroecological principles, cognitive symbiosis and emotional ecology, emphasising shared intelligence and affective stewardship between humans, machines, and ecosystems. Overall, Agriculture 5.0 reframes digitalisation as a human-ecological partnership that can operationalise agroecology’s ethical goals if governed by inclusion, transparency, and regeneration rather than control and optimisation.