An analysis of the landscape of agricultural research in India: The database of PhDs of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, 1947–2023

This article offers an overview of agricultural research in India through the analysis of a database established and curated by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), in which PhD theses are deposited. The analysis considers 35,122 PhD dissertation titles over a period of about 80 years (1947–2023), with the objective of identifying patterns of research and their evolution. The procedure followed to prepare data and the statistical methods used are described. These are specific to the multidimensional analysis of qualitative data. Descending hierarchical classification led to the identification of five theme-clusters: “Agronomy”, “Genetics”, “Plant Health”, “Animal Sciences”, and “Social Sciences”, accounting for 29.0, 16.9, 17.7, 21.0, and 15.5% of the total number of classified PhD titles (93% of the total), respectively. Multiple correspondence analysis allows quantifying the links between and mapping of these theme-clusters and their associated terms (key-words), along with supplementary variables: disciplinary fields and years. Overall, the analysis shows stability of the theme-clusters over time, along with the disciplinary fields of Indian research. There however is a clear dynamic in the importance of terms. Besides the stability of these theme-clusters, the importance of research on agricultural extension, and the permanent importance over the 80-year period of key staples (rice and wheat), along with pulses, fruits and vegetables, are among some key features of Indian agricultural research. The required future research on climate change regarding its impacts and the need for adaptation on crops, animals and agricultural systems is emphasised. We discuss the relevance of PhD dissertation titles (as opposed to, for example the commonplace literature review approach) as an instrument to explore and analyse a large and diverse landscape of research. The analysis also brings about a discussion and views on the merits and the required balance between short-term, application-oriented research versus long-term, knowledge- and understanding-oriented research.