Grassroots Financial Inclusion: The Influence of Community Group Savings and Lending (CGSL) on Farming Productivity in South Sudan

Despite growing recognition of community-based savings institutions across sub-Saharan Africa, the precise mechanisms through which Community Group Savings and Lending (CGSL) participation translates into measurable improvements in farming productivity remain underexplored — particularly in fragile, post-conflict contexts. This study examines the overarching influence of CGSL membership on rural agricultural development and technological adoption across three ecologically and socio-politically distinct states of South Sudan: Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei, and Lakes State. Drawing on a mixed-methods design that combined descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression analysis of primary data from 81 validated respondents (n=81; response rate 95%), alongside MAXQDA-facilitated thematic analysis of in-depth interviews, the study produces four integrated findings. First, chi-square testing confirms a statistically significant positive association between CGSL membership and agricultural productivity improvements across three indicators (χ²=15.92; p=0.0001). Second, logistic regression establishes that credit access through CGSLs significantly increases the probability of technology adoption (β=1.9459; p=0.026). Third, 100 per cent of respondents unanimously confirmed working capital scarcity as the primary investment barrier, establishing the exact developmental niche that CGSLs fill. Fourth, CGSL members demonstrate substantially higher rates of improved seed and fertiliser adoption compared to non-members, with member adoption rates exceeding non-member rates by 28–42 percentage points across technology categories. The study introduces the CGSL-Driven Agrarian Transformation Model (CDATM) — an original author-developed conceptual framework that maps the causal pathway from group membership through financial capital access, technology adoption, and market orientation to structural agrarian transformation. Findings confirm that CGSLs act as the primary catalyst for lifting rural farmers above the subsistence threshold, and that CGSL membership constitutes the single most significant determinant of technology-led agricultural advancement available to the rural poor in South Sudan.