Study On The Influence Of Social Capital And Government Support On Farmers’ Adoption Of Water-saving Irrigation Technology

Hebei Province is a large agricultural province,and agricultural water is a necessary condition for agricultural production.Its shortage directly affects the national food security.In addition,due to the over exploitation of groundwater resources for many years,there are seven groundwater funnel areas in the province,resulting in a series of ecological and environmental problems.Under the great pressure of agricultural water shortage and ecological environment problems,local governments have taken a series of measures to develop and promote water-saving irrigation technology to improve agricultura]water use efficiency and reduce the exploitation of groundwater resources.According to the survey data of Bashang area and Heilonggang Area in Zhangjiakou,Hebei Province from April to July 2021,although the government has strengthened its support for farmers’ water-saving irrigation technology,the technology adoption rate is still low,accounting for only 55.6%of the total sample.At present,many scholars have discussed the impact of farmers’adoption of water-saving irrigation technology,and found that most studies mainly select variables such as farmers’ personal characteristics,family characteristics,water right and water price,farmers’ risk attitude and so on as the main influencing factors of farmers’adoption of water-saving irrigation technology Government support pays less attention to the impact of farmers’ adoption of water-saving irrigation technology.Therefore,aiming at the problem that the adoption rate of farmers’ water-saving irrigation technology in the sample area is still low,this paper deeply discusses the impact of farmers’ adoption of water-saving irrigation technology from the perspectives of social capital and government support.The research on the above problems provides an effective basis for farmers to improve the adoption rate of water-saving irrigation technology,and provides a broader vision for the innovation of Agricultural Technology Extension System in China.From the dual perspectives of social capital and government support,this paper carries out the following research based on Coleman’s rational choice theory and agricultural technology innovation diffusion theory.Firstly,it introduces the characteristics of farmers,social capital,government support,the current situation and existing problems of farmers’ adoption of water-saving irrigation technology in the sample area;Then,the index system of social capital and government support is constructed,and the factor analysis method is used to measure and analyze the characteristics of social capital and government support.Secondly,the structural equation model(SEM)is used to empirically analyze the impact of social capital and government support on Farmers’ adoption of water-saving irrigation technology,and verify the intermediary effect of technology cognition and the regulatory effect of government support.Finally,based on the above research,the corresponding countermeasures and suggestions are put forward.The main conclusions of this paper are as follows:first,the degree of social capital construction of farmers in the sample area is weak,the adoption rate of farmers’water-saving irrigation technology is low,farmers’ awareness of water-saving irrigation technology is weak,and the government’s support for water-saving irrigation technology is not enough.Second,through statistical analysis,it is found that the social capital of farmers who adopt water-saving irrigation technology is higher than that of farmers who do not adopt technology,and the government support of farmers who adopt water-saving irrigation technology is higher than that of farmers who do not adopt technology;The higher the adoption rate of water-saving irrigation technology in areas with high social capital,the higher the adoption rate of water-saving irrigation technology in areas with strong government support.Thirdly,through the analysis of the results of the model,it is found that social capital and government support have a significant positive impact on Farmers’ cognition of water-saving irrigation technology and adoption behavior of water-saving irrigation technology.Fourth,technology cognition has a partial mediating effect in the behavior relationship of farmers’ adoption of water-saving irrigation technology under the influence of social capital.Fifth,government support has a positive regulatory effect on the relationship between social capital and farmers’ adoption of water-saving irrigation technology.In view of the existing problems,the following suggestions are put forward:first,pay attention to the construction and cultivation of farmers’ social capital;Second,strengthen the publicity and promotion of water-saving irrigation technology,and enhance farmers’ awareness of technology;Third,increase investment in water-saving irrigation technology and improve the subsidy mechanism of water-saving irrigation technology;Fourth,improve the supervision and management mechanism.