Abstract
This study provides a systematic bibliometric analysis of fintech-driven financial inclusion for Southern African smallholder farmers. Financial exclusion severely limits these farmers' productivity and resilience, trapping them in cycles of poverty. Fintech offers transformative solutions through mobile money, digital credit, and insurtech. The research employs a multi-theoretical framework to analyse adoption, impact, and ecosystem dynamics. A review of empirical literature documents both the costs of exclusion and the benefits of inclusion. The methodology involves sourcing relevant documents from the Scopus database for quantitative and thematic analysis. Key findings reveal a field in a state of emergence with exponential growth in publications since 2021. The intellectual structure comprises six thematic clusters, including AI-driven finance and digital ecosystems. Analysis shows a pronounced dependence on knowledge production from outside the African continent. This indicates a gap in locally anchored research perspectives. The study concludes by proposing a critical future research agenda that deepens the contextual and longitudinal studies on fintech adoption and impact. Further research should bridge the implementation gap by examining viable business models; investigating robust consumer protection frameworks for vulnerable farmers; intersectional analysis of how gender, age, and land tenure shape financial access and exploring the synergy between fintech and other Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.
Cuvinte cheie
Bibliometrics
Digitalisation
Agriculture
Mobile
Ecosystem
Istoric articol
Publicat
01.04.2026
Informații autori
Citare recomandată
Alan Munodei (2026). Bridging The Gap: An Analysis of Fintech-Driven Financial Inclusion for Smallholder Farmers in Southern Africa (A Bibliometric Review). Journal of Economic Sciences, 1(2), 6–20. https://doi.org/10.65631/jes.2.2026.1
Referințe bibliografice
Agyekum, O., Sirivardana, C. & Narayanan, S. (2021) 'Blockchain for sustainable development: Perspectives from smallholder cashew farmers in Mozambique', World Development Perspectives, 24, p. 100371
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), pp. 179-211
Akter, S. (2024) 'Understanding FinTech Adoption: An Extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior with Trust', Journal of Financial Services Marketing, 29(1), pp. 123-138
Alhassan, H., Kwakwa, P.A. & Adzawla, W. (2021) 'Farmer's choice of climate-resilient strategies: Evidence from Ghana', Climate and Development, 13(9), pp. 832-842
Aria, M., & Cuccurullo, C. (2017). bibliometrix: An R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis. Journal of Informetrics, 11(4), pp. 959-975
Arner, Douglas & Buckley, Ross & Zetzsche, Dirk & Veidt, Robin. (2020). Sustainability, FinTech and Financial Inclusion. European Business Organization Law Review. 21. 7-35
Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), pp. 319-340
DiMaggio, P. J., & Powell, W. W. (1983). The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields. American Sociological Review, 48(2), pp. 147-160
Donthu, N., et al. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, pp. 285-296
Dow, S.C. (2022) 'Transaction costs and institutions: A review of the literature', Journal of Economic Issues, 56(1), pp. 1-20
Gerasimov, A., Mehrabian, N., Acker, O. & McGuire, J. (2024) 'Scopus vs. Web of Science: A bibliometric analysis for subject matter experts', Journal of Academic Librarianship, 50(1), p. 102856
Gosavi, A. (2020) 'Can mobile money help firms mitigate the impact of COVID-19? Evidence from small-scale enterprises in Tanzania', The European Journal of Development Research, 33(4), pp. 853-872
Griffin, M., et al. (2022). Ensuring survey research data integrity in the era of internet bots. Quality & Quantity, 56(4), 2841-2852
Ha, D., Le, P., & Nguyen, D. K. (2025). Financial inclusion and fintech: a state-of-the-art systematic literature review. Financial Innovation, 11(1), 69
Hasanah, N. (2024) 'The role of FinTech in reducing transaction costs for smallholder farmers: A systematic review', Agricultural Finance Review, 84(2), pp. 245-264
Hennart, J.F. & Verbeke, A. (2022) 'Transaction cost economics: Past, present, and future', Journal of International Business Studies, 53, pp. 1-19
Hermann, A. (2025) 'Digital finance and human development: A capability approach perspective for smallholder agriculture', World Development, 176, p. 106512
Jamil, I. (2024) 'Beyond access: Evaluating financial inclusion through the capability approach', Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 25(1), pp. 45-62
Jensen, N., Ikegami, M. & Mude, A. (2020) 'Index Insurance and Pastoralist Risk Management: Evidence from Ethiopia', The Journal of Development Studies, 56(9), pp. 1732-1747
Johnson, W. G. (2023). Caught in quicksand? Compliance and legitimacy challenges in using regulatory sandboxes to manage emerging technologies. Regulation & Governance, 17(3), 709-725
Khare, A. & Jain, R. (2022) 'Mapping conceptual structure of sustainability science: A bibliometric analysis', Scientometrics, 127(2), pp. 978-1012
Kuhn, E., & Rücker, K. (2025). Boolean Searches. Legal Research for Alberta Legal Professionals
Kumar, V., Verma, P. & Sharma, R. (2023) 'DeHaat: A digital platform for smallholder farmer empowerment in India', Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 188, p. 122312
Kumar, S., et al. (2020). Science mapping and bibliometric analysis: A practical guide. Journal of Business Research, 115, pp. 354-365
Kusuma, R., Darma, D. & Arifin, A. (2021) 'Financial technology and transaction cost efficiency in the agricultural sector', Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 8(3), pp. 1121-1132
Libecap, G.D. (2024) 'Transaction Cost Economics and the Evolution of Property Rights', Journal of Institutional Economics, 20(e2), pp. 1-20
Marikyan, D., & Papagiannidis, S. (2023). Technology Acceptance Model: A review
Maseko, N., Mago, S. & Chitokwindo, S. (2022) 'Digital literacy and the adoption of mobile money services among smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe', African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, 14(5), pp. 1345-1357
Mbama, C.I., Eze, P. & Alboul, L. (2021) 'Social influence and mobile banking adoption: An extension of the theory of planned behavior', Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 63, p. 102685
Munyua, H. (2021) 'Digital platforms and rural market access: The case of Copia Global in Kenya', Information Technologies & International Development, 17, pp. 1-15
Munyua, H. & Karanja, J. (2022) 'DigiFarm: A bundled digital service for smallholder credit and advisory in Kenya', Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies, 12(3), pp. 429-447
Nhundu, K. & Mushunje, A. (2020) 'Gender disparities in access to agricultural finance in Zimbabwe', African Journal of Agricultural Research, 16(5), pp. 702-710
Ninkov, A., Frank, J. R., & Maggio, L. A. (2022). Bibliometrics: Methods for studying academic literature. Perspectives on Medical Education, 11(3), pp. 173-176
Özkan, N. (2025) 'Institutional theory and the legitimization of FinTech', Research in International Business and Finance, 73, p. 102345
Öztürk, O., Kocaman, R. & Kanbach, D.K. (2024) 'How to design bibliometric research: an overview and a framework proposal', Review of Managerial Science
Powell, W. W., & DiMaggio, P. J. (2023). The New Institutionalism in Organizational Analysis
Rogers, E. M. (1962). Diffusion of Innovations
Sangwa, B., Ndahimana, J. & Dusengumuremyi, P. (2025) 'Diffusion of mobile financial services in rural Rwanda: A Rogers' perspective', Journal of Rural Studies, 107, p. 103289
Sen, A. (1985). Well-being, agency and freedom: The Dewey Lectures 1984
Sichone, M., Mwanaumo, E. & Mubanga, M. (2020) 'Post-harvest losses and financial exclusion among smallholder farmers in Zambia', Agricultural Finance Review, 80(4), pp. 511-525
Tiwari, S., Singh, P. & Rana, N.P. (2023) 'Diffusion of FinTech innovations for financial inclusion: A review and research agenda', Information Systems Frontiers
Ursavaş, Ö.F. (2022) 'A comprehensive meta-analysis of the Technology Acceptance Model', Education and Information Technologies, 27, pp. 10113-10143
Williamson, O. E. (1975). Markets and Hierarchies: Analysis and Antitrust Implications
Yahiaoui, R. (2025) 'Financing freedom: A Senian perspective on digital financial inclusion', Journal of Economic Methodology, 32(1), pp. 78-95
Yu, T.K. (2022) 'Predicting the adoption of mobile payment during the COVID-19 pandemic', Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 7(4), p. 100260
Zheng, L. (2023) 'Digital financial inclusion and farmer well-being: An application of the capability approach in China', China Agricultural Economic Review, 15(2), pp. 399-417