A Global Scientometric Analysis of Climate-smart Agricultural Innovations Adoption in Drought-prone Areas

Acute and growing burdens on livelihoods exist as water resources become more stressed and agricultural production becomes less reliable. To meet these challenges, Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) innovations are being positioned as an essential solution to increasing resilience, productivity, and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This global scientometric analysis maps the evolution of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) adoption research in drought-prone regions through a systematic examination of 448 Scopus-indexed publications (2016–2025). The field demonstrates robust annual growth (13.72%), peaking at 111 publications in 2024, a surge catalysed by post-Paris Agreement policy mobilisation and escalating climate vulnerabilities. Geographically, research leadership is heavily concentrated in high-risk regions: India dominates (80 publications, 17.9% of total), driven by institutions like Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (27 papers), while Sub-Saharan Africa shows strong collaborative output (Ghana: 17; Kenya: 15). Critically, Latin American drylands and West Asia represent less than 4% of studies, exposing significant spatial knowledge gaps. Thematic analysis reveals three interconnected clusters: (1) climate drivers ("drought" [80 keyword occurrences], "abiotic stress") contextualizing environmental pressures; (2) adaptation strategies anchored by "climate-smart agriculture" but hampered by terminology inconsistencies ("adaptye management"); and (3) socio-agronomic outcomes ("crop yield", "food security", "smallholder" livelihoods). Methodologically, empirical field data dominates yet suffers from compartmentalisation: biophysical trials (e.g., 3.1 t/ha sorghum yield gains in Kenya) rarely integrate socio-economic metrics, while household surveys (e.g., 40% higher farm incomes for CSA adopters in India) overlook environmental variables. Only 12.5% of systematically reviewed studies leveraged geospatial tools like remote sensing (e.g., detection of sustained LST >30°C in Indonesia). Crop-specific research disproportionately focuses on maize (21 occurrences), neglecting drought-resilient staples like sorghum and millet, essential for nutrition security. Collaboration networks are robust (4.44 authors/paper), with Northern institutions enabling multinational partnerships (UK: 82% MCP rate). Persistent gaps include fragmented methodologies, underrepresentation of livestock systems, and short-term trials (<6 years). We recommend (a) integrated mixed-methods approaches (remote sensing + socio-economic panels), (b) geographic diversification to neglected arid zones, (c) ontology standardisation, and (d) crop study expansion beyond maize. Policymakers should prioritise scaling validated CSA bundles, such as integrated soil-water conservation (26–89% yield increases) and drought-tolerant varieties, to strengthen resilience in vulnerable agroecosystems.