A Systematic Review of The Role of Supply Chain Management in Agricultural Input Industries: A Theory Context Characteristics Method (TCCM) Framework Perspective

The agricultural input sector; which includes the fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, and machines, is essential in the agricultural productivity and food security. This industry has a remarkable need to employ effective Supply Chain Management (SCM) as a tool of streamlining efficiency, minimizing wastages and improving accessibility of quality inputs to farmers. Nevertheless, the studies of SCM within agricultural input industries are disjointed, and they lack theoretical integrations and situational equilibrium. To fill this gap, the given study will perform a Systematic Literature Review (SLR), which will include the findings of two decades of published research (20062025) and will employ the framework of TCCM (Theory Context Characteristics Method) to generalize existing knowledge and define the future research opportunities. An extensive search of major academic databases Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Science Direct provided 150 peer-reviewed articles in the context of SCM in agricultural input sectors. All the studies were coded and evaluated on the four dimensions of theoretical underpinning, contextual settings, thematic aspects, and methods. The review shows that although the number of publications has grown substantially since 2015, literature is still shown to be dominated by descriptive and context-sensitive works. The most commonly applied schemes are the Resource-Based View, the Transaction Cost Economics, and the Institutional Theory, but there have been few attempts to combine the new theories like the Dynamic Capabilities and Circular Economy. The majority of the research is focused on developing economies, especially India, and sustainability, digital transformation, and collaboration have become the major research topics. The paper finds that the research on SCM in the agricultural input sector is expanding conceptually and fragmented. It demands increased theoretical combination, inter sectoral and international research, and use of sophisticated modelling and mixed methods. The review offers a blue print to scholars, practitioners and policymakers on how to build more sustainable, digitalized and resilient agro-input supply chains in the future.