ENTREPRENEURIAL PERCEPTION OF THE FARM AND THE ROLE OF FINANCIAL SERVICES: A FACTORIAL AND DESCRIPTIVE APPROACH OF SMALLHOLDERS PROFILE IN COTE D’IVOIRE

This study analyses the entrepreneurial perception of small farms, particularly the role of financial perception in the construction of an entrepreneurial identity. Using multiple correspondence analysis, a factor score reflecting overall financial perception was constructed and then introduced into a logit model to assess its effect. The results reveal three groups of farmers according to the importance they attached to financial services: the group of convinced potential users, the group of sceptics and the group of moderate adopters. Furthermore, 76 % of small-scale farmers believe that their farms can be considered a business. Finally, Logit model shows that financial score is negatively associated with entrepreneurial perception. Land tenure and generational renewal reinforce this finding. On the order hand, education, farm size, and income have a positive and significant influence on perception. These results shed new light: the importance of individual and social representations in the construction of entrepreneurial identity by smallholders. Policies therefore must be accompanied by strategies that strengthen training in both financial education and use of financial tools. Mechanisms to reinforce institutional confidence remain essential for the adoption of financial services in agriculture.