This paper examines how ICT-based financial services can increase market access and income stability of smallholder farmers in Rwanda. Although the use of mobile money and digital financial tools is increasingly adopted in sub-Saharan Africa, there are still limited empirical studies on the synergies between these instruments and agricultural market participation, as well as household income resilience, especially in the Rwandan context. Based on the Financial Inclusion Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model, the research paper forms an integrative conceptual framework of the relationship between ICT-enabled financial services and market access and income stability, and digital literacy, trust in ICT systems, and institutional support as direct antecedents of market access. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 398 smallholder maize farmers in Nyagatare District, Eastern Province of Rwanda, and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results show that ICT-enabled financial services significantly enhance both market access and income stability, both directly and indirectly through improved market participation. Digital literacy and institutional support have a significant direct effect on market access, whereas trust in ICT systems shows no significant effect. These findings underscore the importance of complementary investments in digital infrastructure, farmer training, and institutional frameworks to maximize the economic benefits of digital financial inclusion in rural agricultural contexts.
Uwiringiyimana et al. (2026) studied this question.