Integrating Agricultural Technology Adoption and Financial Inclusion as a Strategy to Improve Micro-Scale Farm Productivity in Rural Areas of South Sumatra
Abstract
Micro-scale farming faces various constraints in improving productivity, particularly in relation to farmers' ability to adopt technology and access financing that meets their business needs. Agricultural technology can improve the efficiency of input use, access to information, farm management, and decision-making. However, technology adoption among smallholder farmers is still influenced by digital literacy, infrastructure, economic conditions, and institutional factors. On the other hand, access to credit can improve farm productivity and technical efficiency by enabling farmers to obtain production inputs and make productive investments. This study aims to: (1) analyze the effect of agricultural technology adoption on micro-scale farm productivity; and (2) analyze the effect of financial inclusion access on micro-scale farm productivity. The study employs a quantitative explanatory approach using multiple linear regression analysis. A total of 300 farm observations are used as simulated data to demonstrate the proposed analytical framework; therefore, the numerical results do not represent findings from an actual field survey. The independent variables consist of an agricultural technology adoption index and a financial inclusion access index, while farm productivity serves as the dependent variable. Farmers' age, education level, and land area are included as control variables. The results indicate that agricultural technology adoption and financial inclusion access have positive and statistically significant effects on farm productivity. The model explains a substantial proportion of the variation in productivity and provides an initial basis for further empirical investigation into the role of technology and financing in micro-scale farming. These findings are illustrative in nature and should be validated using primary data collected from farmers.