BRIDGING THE GAP: AN ANALYSIS OF FINTECH-DRIVEN FINANCIAL INCLUSION FOR SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA (A BIBLIOMETRIC REVIEW)

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.