Digital financial services have emerged as a critical tool for enhancing economic inclusion in East Africa, particularly among smallholder women farmers. A mixed-method approach combining quantitative survey data and qualitative interviews with a sample size of 150 women farmers was employed. Digital financial service adoption by women farmers has increased their income by an average of 24% compared to non-users, though this varies significantly by region (p < 0. 05). The study highlights the need for tailored digital financial services and supportive policies to maximise benefits for DRC's smallholder women farmers. Policy makers should implement gender-sensitive digital financial products and ensure widespread access to these services in rural areas of DRC. Model estimation used =argmin_ᵢ (yᵢ, f_ (xᵢ) ) +₂², with performance evaluated using out-of-sample error.
Kipshidzie et al. (Fri,) studied this question.