A BIBLIOMETRIC STUDY ON FOOD SECURITY DILEMMA IN MALAYSIA: AN OVERVIEW ON RUMINANT SUPPLY CHAIN PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Food security has emerged as a critical concern in Malaysia, particularly within the context of the ruminant supply chain, where self-sufficiency levels remain low and dependency on imports continues to rise. This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to understand the research landscape, trends, and gaps related to the food security dilemma in Malaysia, with a focus on the ruminant supply chain. The analysis aims to identify the evolution of scholarly output, key contributors, and thematic concentrations that can inform future research and policy direction. Using the keywords “Food Security,” “beef supply,” and “supply chain,” relevant literature was retrieved from the Scopus database, yielding a total of 4,460 publications. Data cleaning and standardization were performed using OpenRefine, followed by co-authorship, co-occurrence, and citation network visualizations and analysis using VOSviewer and the Scopus Analyzer tools. The results indicate a growing body of literature in the last decade, with increased interdisciplinary collaboration. However, despite the volume of publications, specific focus on Malaysia’s ruminant sector within the broader food security context remains limited. Major contributing countries include Malaysia, Indonesia, and Australia, with institutions such as Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Malaya being prominent in the field. The co-occurrence analysis highlights key themes such as sustainability, supply chain management, and livestock production. This study reveals a pressing need for targeted research efforts addressing local ruminant production challenges, including feed resource constraints, import dependency, and supply chain inefficiencies. In conclusion, while bibliometric insights affirm growing academic interest in food security, they also underscore the underrepresentation of Malaysia’s ruminant supply chain issues, thus pointing to vital areas for future investigation and policy intervention.