Agriculture is under pressure to become more sustainable amid climate change and resource scarcity, particularly in water-stressed regions such as Jordan. Emerging technologies in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) offer transformative potential to increase efficiency and productivity in farming while conserving resources, resulting in improving the food production, food security, and food nutrition improvement. We conducted a systematic literature review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, searching Scopus and other databases for recent (2015–2025) research on AI- and IoT-based innovations in agriculture. A total of approximately 800 publications were identified, of which around 250 peer-reviewed studies met the inclusion criteria (in English, relevant to sustainable agriculture, and focusing on AI/IoT applications). We documented the selection process in a PRISMA flow diagram (Figure
1) and performed bibliometric analyses to visualize keyword co-occurrence networks and country collaboration maps. The results show that the review reveals a rapidly growing body of work: annual publications on “smart agriculture” technologies have surged from under 100 per year before 2015 to several hundred in the early 2020s. Notably, IoT-related research in agriculture has expanded by over 1600% in the past five years, and interest in AI techniques (machine learning and deep learning) shows even higher growth. Key contributing countries include India, the USA, and China (leading in publication volume), along with active contributions from Europe and the Middle East (e.g., Saudi Arabia, Egypt). Bibliometric keyword analysis highlights clusters centred on precision farming and crops, IoT sensors and networks, AI/deep learning and data analytics, and smart farming systems, indicating an interdisciplinary convergence of agronomy, engineering, and computer science. In conclusions,
AI and IoT technologies can significantly advance sustainable agriculture in Jordan by improving water-use efficiency, crop productivity, and climate resilience. To realise this potential, concerted efforts are needed to invest in digital infrastructure, build local expertise, and enact enabling policies. We provide policy recommendations, including support for smart irrigation initiatives, public–private partnerships to foster agri-tech innovation, and training programs to help farmers leverage data-driven tools. The findings provide a comprehensive synthesis of the state-of-the-art and a roadmap for deploying Agriculture 4.0 solutions in support of the Sustainable Development Goals in Jordan and similar regions.