The quality of meta-analyses in agricultural sustainability has been increasing, but weaknesses persist
Abstract
Meta-analyses (MAs) are needed to inform agricultural policies on sustainable farming practices (FPs). This study assesses the quality against established criteria of 570 MAs published from 2000-2023 and included in the recently published “JRC-Farming Practices Evidence Library”. We find that average MA quality significantly improved ( p < 0.001) over time. However, about two-thirds of the assessments showed deficiencies in at least four areas, notably study selection and publication bias reporting. MAs related to animal husbandry, manure management, and those synthesizing modelling-derived outcomes demonstrated particularly low quality. Less than 40% of MAs provided accessible original data, limiting reproducibility and re-use. These shortcomings may hinder the full potential of MAs to support evidence-based policy. We propose recommendations to promote FAIR data sharing, enhance awareness, and encourage greater transparency in reporting, which a needed to strengthen the role of MAs in agricultural sustainability.
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BibTeX
@article{schievano2026quality,
title = {{The quality of meta-analyses in agricultural sustainability has been increasing, but weaknesses persist}},
author = {Andrea Schievano and Simona Bosco and Marta Pérez-Soba and Ana Montero-Castaño and Rui Catarino and Mathilde Chen and Giovanni Tamburini and Beatrice Landoni and Otho Mantegazza and Carlo Rega and Irene Guerrero and Maria Bielza and Marijn van der Velde and Maria Luisa Paracchini and Linda See and Jean-Michel Terres and David Makowski},
journal = {npj Sustainable Agriculture},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1038/s44264-026-00148-7},
url = {https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05650336v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The quality of meta-analyses in agricultural sustainability has been increasing, but weaknesses persist
AU - Andrea Schievano
AU - Simona Bosco
AU - Marta Pérez-Soba
AU - Ana Montero-Castaño
AU - Rui Catarino
AU - Mathilde Chen
AU - Giovanni Tamburini
AU - Beatrice Landoni
AU - Otho Mantegazza
AU - Carlo Rega
AU - Irene Guerrero
AU - Maria Bielza
AU - Marijn van der Velde
AU - Maria Luisa Paracchini
AU - Linda See
AU - Jean-Michel Terres
AU - David Makowski
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/09
JO - npj Sustainable Agriculture
DO - 10.1038/s44264-026-00148-7
UR - https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05650336v1
AB - Meta-analyses (MAs) are needed to inform agricultural policies on sustainable farming practices (FPs). This study assesses the quality against established criteria of 570 MAs published from 2000-2023 and included in the recently published “JRC-Farming Practices Evidence Library”. We find that average MA quality significantly improved ( p < 0.001) over time. However, about two-thirds of the assessments showed deficiencies in at least four areas, notably study selection and publication bias reporting. MAs related to animal husbandry, manure management, and those synthesizing modelling-derived outcomes demonstrated particularly low quality. Less than 40% of MAs provided accessible original data, limiting reproducibility and re-use. These shortcomings may hinder the full potential of MAs to support evidence-based policy. We propose recommendations to promote FAIR data sharing, enhance awareness, and encourage greater transparency in reporting, which a needed to strengthen the role of MAs in agricultural sustainability.
SN - 2731-9202
ER -