Mapping of global research trends, gaps and challenges for a sustainable pig production system

Pig husbandry has grown rapidly on a global scale, mainly due to demand for high quality animal protein and biological model for human diseases. The present study aimed to analyse the global trend in pig research, the gaps and challenges for sustainable piggery sector. Based on data retrieved from Dimensions.ai. a bibliometric mapping and meta-analysis were conducted for the period 1961 to 2023. A total of 1,13,674 documents were identified as relevant and the intellectual structure of data was visualized and analyzed using VoS viewer. The study revealed that agriculture, veterinary and food sciences had the highest number of publications on pig production, processing and management. Most of the researches were about sustainable development goal 3, which focuses on ensuring access to good health and well-being. China has greater research impact and the Aarhus University, Ghent University and Iowa State University were the top three institutions in terms of total citations. The journal "Animals" published maximum research involving pigs. The research gaps entail alternative feed resources, lean pigs and vaccine development. The challenges include African Swine Fever, piggery waste management and climate change, driving the need for collaborative research to address different aspects of sustainable pig production system.