The impact of social capital on the green production behavior among rice farmers: evidence from agricultural cooperatives in China

This paper relies on the SOR theory to explore the connection between social capital (S), perceived value (O), and green production behavior of cooperative members (R). Drawing on survey data from 727 farmers engaged in rice cooperatives in Heilongjiang Province, China, this paper empirically assesses how social capital and perceived value influence the green production behavior of cooperative members using methods including the ordered probit model, extended regression model estimation, and a mediating effect model. Findings reveal that, (1) Social capital significantly enhances the green production behavior of cooperative members, social capital improved adoption of 5–7 green practices by 0.06-0.07 probability. The three facets of social capital—social trust, social norms, and social networks—bolster the green production behavior, with social norms exerting the most substantial impact. With each unit increase in social norms, the probability of adopting green production behaviors increases by 0.524. (2) Perceived value is an important mediation channel. Perceived ease of use exerts a stronger mediating effect, and its mediating proportion on the influence of social capital on the green production behavior more than 30%. The results of this paper provide a new entry point for the application of SOR theory in agricultural green transformation and underscore the social capital and psychological factors of farmers are equally important in the process of agricultural green transformation in China.