Climate change, water resources and food security: A bibliometric analysis of research trends and emerging systemic risks

Abstract

This study provides a structured bibliometric assessment of global research on the interconnections between climate change, water resources, and food security. Using the Scopus database, 1, 217 publications for the period 2012–2025 were identified through a TITLE-ABS-KEY search, and 633 documents were retained after subject-area filtering. Bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Bibliometrix (Biblioshiny) package in R to examine publication dynamics, thematic evolution, and conceptual structure. The results indicate a significant increase in research output after 2019, reflecting growing attention to climate-induced resource constraints. Thematic mapping identifies climate change, water resources, and food security as the central cluster, while adaptation, sustainability, and agricultural production function as interconnected yet evolving research domains. Conceptual structure analysis reveals a shift from sector-specific agricultural studies toward integrated, governance- and risk-oriented frameworks. The findings demonstrate the consolidation of the climate–water–food nexus as an emerging interdisciplinary field and highlight the increasing relevance of systemic risk and long-term sustainability perspectives under intensifying climate uncertainty.