Social Audits in Moroccan Agriculture: A Systematic and Bibliometric Inquiry

In light of recent national strategies such as Plan Maroc Vert and Génération Green 2020–2030, Morocco’s agricultural sector is increasingly oriented toward sustainable development, labor rights, and ethical compliance. Despite this evolution, academic understanding of how social audits operate within this context remains fragmented and underexplored. This study addresses this gap by conducting a systematic bibliometric and qualitative review of peer-reviewed literature on social audits in Moroccan agriculture from 2015 to 2025. The objective is to assess the intellectual landscape, map thematic trends, and identify under-researched areas to guide future research and policy initiatives. Using the PRISMA 2020 protocol, a total of 67 relevant articles were selected from Scopus and Web of Science databases. Bibliometric mapping through VOSviewer identified five dominant research clusters: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability, labor rights, certification standards, gender inclusion, and governance frameworks. Complementing this, a manual content analysis of the 20 most cited articles revealed insights into audit typologies (first-, second-, third-party), stakeholder participation, gender-sensitive practices, and alignment with national policies. The results highlight a concentration of research on CSR and working conditions but reveal critical gaps in livestock sectors, mountainous regions, and women-led smallholder farms. In response, the study proposes a multi-level conceptual model integrating farm-level practices, cooperative governance, and national policy structures. This work contributes to both academic literature and institutional reflection by clarifying research priorities and offering strategic directions to enhance the implementation of social audit systems in Morocco’s agricultural landscape.