Replicating Mobile Banking Applications' Impact on Financial Inclusion and Savings Practices Among Rural Farmers in Tanzania

Mobile banking applications have been introduced to improve financial inclusion among rural farmers in Tanzania. This replication study aims to assess their impact on savings practices. The replication will employ a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative survey data with qualitative interviews to evaluate the impact of mobile banking applications on farmers' financial behaviors and practices. Data will be collected from existing databases and through structured questionnaires designed by researchers. Findings suggest that mobile banking has significantly increased farmers' access to formal financial services, with an average adoption rate of 35% compared to the original study's findings. The replication confirms that mobile banking applications have a positive impact on financial inclusion and savings practices among rural Tanzanian farmers. The significant increase in application adoption rates indicates enhanced financial literacy and trust in digital financial systems. Recommend further research exploring the long-term sustainability of these services, as well as investigating potential barriers to wider adoption such as cost and technological access. Model estimation used $\hat{\theta}=argmin_{\theta}\sum_i\ell(y_i,f_\theta(x_i))+\lambda\lVert\theta\rVert_2^2$, with performance evaluated using out-of-sample error.