The role of social network embeddedness and collective efficacy in encouraging farmers’ participation in water environmental management

Water environmental management (WEM) has a significant influence on the global ecological balance. As an institutional innovation, the River Chief System (RCS) in China has achieved a positive short-term impact on addressing water environmental problems. However, its effects are limited in rural China. As a type of public good, the rural WEM demands the active participation not only of government but also of farmers. Based on the social cognitive and social network theory, this study empirically investigates how rural social networks promote farmers' participation in WEM. Using the survey of 860 farmers in the Yellow and Yangtze River Basin, we employ the double-hurdle model (D-H-M) to craft the primary assessment. The results show that the social network embeddedness facilitates farmers' participation in WEM directly. Collective efficacy plays a full mediation role in the relationship between social network embeddedness and farmers' participation. Moreover, the perceived role of village leaders affects the relationship between social networks and farmers' participation. Our research enriches the application of social network theory in the rural social context and offers an innovative approach to solving farmers' participation problems in WEM.