Saving on the Phone—Evidence from Ghanaian Cocoa Farmers.

Effective savings mechanisms are crucial for household resilience and economic growth. Savings accounts, whether from banks or mobile-phone based, offer an alternative to informal saving mechanisms as they provide safe and private cash storage. However, there is still no clear evidence on how the us...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Development Studies Vol. 61; no. 1; pp. 63 - 81
Main Authors: Wahbi, Annkathrin, Rosero, Gabriel, Musshoff, Oliver
Format: Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd Jan2025
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=181910139&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ssf
    uiTerm: 181910139
    longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        00220388
        JDS
      jtl: Journal of Development Studies
      issn: 00220388
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: Jan2025
      vid: 61
      iid: 1
      pid: 377
      pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd
    artinfo:
      ui:
        181910139
        10.1080/00220388.2024.2398464
      ppf: 63
      ppct: 18
      formats:
        fmt:
          – @attributes:
              type: T
              db: hlh
              ui: 181910139
          – @attributes:
              type: P
              db: hlh
              ui: 181910139
      tig:
        atl: Saving on the Phone—Evidence from Ghanaian Cocoa Farmers.
      aug:
        au:
          Wahbi, Annkathrin
          Rosero, Gabriel
          Musshoff, Oliver
        affil: Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
      su:
        Banking industry
        Financial inclusion
        Cacao growers
        High technology industries
        Bank accounts
      sug:
        subj:
          Banking industry
          Personal and commercial banking industry
          Savings Institutions
          Other Depository Credit Intermediation
          Commercial Banking
          Financial inclusion
          Cacao growers
          High technology industries
          Bank accounts
      keyword:
        Digital finance
        gender
        Ghana
        interval regression
        micro savings
        mobile financial services
        Digital finance
        gender
        Ghana
        interval regression
        micro savings
        mobile financial services
      ab: Effective savings mechanisms are crucial for household resilience and economic growth. Savings accounts, whether from banks or mobile-phone based, offer an alternative to informal saving mechanisms as they provide safe and private cash storage. However, there is still no clear evidence on how the use of digital tools can contribute to increasing farmers' savings, compared with other financial tools such as bank accounts or keeping cash at home. To address this gap, we investigate factors affecting cocoa farmers' decisions to save, as well as their savings amounts. Shedding light on saving determinants, we answer the question of whether formal and semi-formal accounts play a major role in savings accumulation. For our study, we employ data from a structured telephone survey conducted in 2021 among 405 randomly sampled cocoa farmers. Results from an interval regression suggest that bank account usage is associated with higher savings amounts. In contrast to male cocoa farmers, females seem to use mobile savings tools to their benefit. Our analysis further reveals the importance of education in household financial resource management. We provide valuable results for public policymakers and the private sector towards responsible financial inclusion and pro-poor development of digital financial services.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
    refInfo:
    copyright:
      @attributes:
        flag: N
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N