| Abstract |
For an agricultural firm (AF), being sustainable is a complex challenge that requires both a strategic vision and a transition to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In a high-risk scenario, the adoption of sustainable business models (SBMs) can generate significant effects on the AFs' economic performance. In particular, SBMs can stabilize production, reduce the default risk for AFs and, lastly, minimize the probability of credit rationing by the banking system. Firms' difficulty in accessing credit lines arises from the new supervisory banking rules aimed at stimulating banks to adopt credit disbursement and monitoring procedures, inspired by the principles of soundness and prudence. Contextually, a new form of credit known as "microfinancing" is emerging in the agricultural sector. It is characterized by short-term loans and low transaction costs and it is practiced by Micro-Finance Institutions. Through a bibliometric and systematic review of the literature, this study aims to map the state of knowledge on the lending strategies adopted for AFs, focusing on the sustainable development perspective. Specifically, two complementary analyses were conducted based on a database search that followed the systematic review protocol, with support from VOSviewer and R softwares. From the keyword co-occurrence analysis, it emerged that the most debated topics are related to the AFs' sustenance and are focused on developing countries. The findings highlight growing attention to the topic of sustainability in the 'access to credit' strategy for AFs, but also poor information about a potential indirect role that Political & Governmental Institutions can play in the spreading of sustainability practices in the agriculture sector. However, the literature is still mainly founded on the economic pillar of sustainability, focusing almost exclusively on the profile and performance potentials of AFs. In addition, there is scarce evidence of the impact that sustainable practices have on both profiling activities by financial intermediaries and the risk profiles of AFs. These topics could be explored in future research. Despite some limitations, the study illustrates the state of the art of the nexus between access to credit and sustainability in the agricultural sector, providing useful ideas to fill the gaps in the literature and discover future research trends. Lastly, the implications of this analysis could support researchers, policy makers, and managers to build suitable strategies for the whole agri-food supply chain, ensuring sector resilience. |