Examining the impact of rural finance development on farmers’ incomes in business context. Evidence from “The Belt and Road” from key provinces

Abstract The gradual increase in the world population has a significant impact on businesses, productivity, and financial development in the context of rural life. As the population continues to grow, there is increasing pressure on farming systems to produce more food to meet the growing demand. In addition, the growing population can lead to an increased demand for natural resources such as water, land, and forests. This can create challenges for rural communities that depend on these resources for their livelihoods. In this study, it was determined as a problem that the financial system deepened in regions where the savings base was not large enough and the level of savings was not at the desired level. In this context, since improving the management of the rural labor structure and increasing investments in science and technology can also increase farmers’ incomes, the study aims to deepen rural financial reform and increase the efficiency of the financial system in business management. In the study, the key provinces of “The Belt and Road” (except Chongqing and Tibet) were considered as research objects and 2000-2015 annual panel data were used to analyze the threshold regression model. According to the research findings, when the threshold of financial development efficiency is variable, the growth of farmers’ incomes in general is prevented, when the scale of financial development is variable, the effect on farmers’ incomes gradually changes from negative to positive. In line with these findings, it is recommended to strengthen the quality of education of rural workers and promote the integration of urban and rural areas, increase investments in agricultural science and technology, and improve the service system of agricultural science and technology.