Digital financial inclusion and green growth: analysis of Chinese agriculture

ABSTRACTCapitalizing on the explosive surge in data volume and the rapid advancements in financial technology, the rise of digital financial inclusion stands poised to amplify financial support across critical agricultural sectors and propel the revitalization of rural areas. This study utilizes panel data spanning 2012 to 2018 from 26 cities in the Yangtze River Delta region of China. Employing a nonparametric approach, it quantifies the growth of agricultural green total factor productivity, both with and without accounting for environmental constraints. Additionally, this research employs the system generalized moment method (system-GMM) alongside the instrumental variable (IV) model to execute a dynamic panel regression. This study explores the influence of digital financial inclusion on agricultural green performance, all the while examining the intricate interplay between conventional financial inclusion and its digital counterpart. The findings show an overall enhancement in agricultural green performance within the Yangtze River Delta region, notwithstanding the divergence across cities, with technological progress chiefly underpinning this growth. Moreover, the development of inclusive digital finance significantly amplifies agricultural productivity gains, and this positive effect stands to be further elevated as traditional financial avenues also evolve.KEYWORDS: Green total factor productivityfinancial inclusionsystem GMMdigital technologyJEL CLASSIFICATION: C14O13Q14 Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationFundingThe work was supported by the China Scholarship Council [No. 202206030069].