ABSTRACT:
Despite the vital role of palm oil in the global food system, academic attention to its relationship with food security remains relatively recent. This article aims to understand the relationship between food security and palm oil by employing a bibliometric analysis using Bibliometrix software to investigate publication characteristics, authorship, international collaborations, and research trends. Surprisingly, our analysis reveals that Malaysia, not Indonesia (the largest producer of palm oil), emerges as the most productive and influential country in this area of research. Most research focuses on the environmental impact of oil palm cultivation, neglecting crucial aspects like its direct influence on food security through factors like nutrition and accessibility. Furthermore, the academic discourse lacks diversity, with only a handful of authors actively engaged in exploring the palm oil-food security nexus. The analysis found that publications focus heavily on palm oil compared to other vegetable oils like soybean, rapeseed, and sunflower oils within the context of food security. This reflects the controversial position palm oil holds. Even though they play an equally important role in fulfilling global fat and oil needs, unlike palm oil, they haven’t been subjected to the same level of scrutiny. This study raises a critical concern: Are certain publications objectively addressing food security, or is there a tendency to disproportionately target highly productive oil crops like palm oil? This imbalance begs the question: Are there surface-level explanations, or are there more complex factors driving this research bias? It paves the way for future research directions, emphasizing the need for a more holistic and balanced approach to the intersection of food security and palm oil production to address global challenges effectively.
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