Drought research priorities, trends, and geographic patterns

Abstract

Drought research addresses one of the major natural hazards that threatens progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. This study aims to map the evolution and interdisciplinarity of drought research over time and across regions, offering insights for decision-makers, researchers, and funding agencies. By analysing more than 130 000 peer-reviewed articles indexed in SCOPUS from 1901 to 2022 using latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) for topic modelling, we identified distinct shifts in research priorities and emerging trends. The results reveal that plant genetic research for drought-tolerant genotypes and advancements in drought forecasting are the most dominant and continuously growing areas of focus. In contrast, the relative importance of topics such as ecology, water resource management, and forest research has decreased. Geospatial patterns highlight a universal focus on forecasting methods, with a strong secondary emphasis on policy and societal issues in Africa and Oceania. Interdisciplinarity in drought research experienced a marked decline until 1983, followed by a steady increase from 2007 onward, suggesting a growing integration of diverse fields. Emerging topics in recent years signal evolving priorities for future research. This analysis provides a comprehensive overview of drought research trends across sectors and regions, offering strategic guidance for aligning research efforts with drought resilience goals. The findings are crucial for research funding agencies and policymakers aiming to prioritize areas with the highest potential to mitigate drought impacts effectively.