The Impact of Social Capital on farmers' Willingness to Reuse Agricultural Waste for Sustainable Development

Sustainable DevelopmentVolume 24, Issue 2 p. 101-108 Research Article The Impact of Social Capital on farmers' Willingness to Reuse Agricultural Waste for Sustainable Development Ke He, Ke He College of Economics and Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China Hubei Rural Development Research Center, Huazhong Agricultural UniversitySearch for more papers by this authorJunbiao Zhang, Corresponding Author Junbiao Zhang College of Economics and Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China Hubei Rural Development Research Center, Huazhong Agricultural University Correspondence to: Junbiao Zhang, College of Economics and Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China E-mail: zhangjb513@126.comSearch for more papers by this authorJunhui Feng, Junhui Feng College of Economics and Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China Hubei Rural Development Research Center, Huazhong Agricultural UniversitySearch for more papers by this authorTing Hu, Ting Hu College of Economics and Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China Hubei Rural Development Research Center, Huazhong Agricultural UniversitySearch for more papers by this authorLu Zhang, Lu Zhang College of Economics and Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China Hubei Rural Development Research Center, Huazhong Agricultural UniversitySearch for more papers by this author Ke He, Ke He College of Economics and Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China Hubei Rural Development Research Center, Huazhong Agricultural UniversitySearch for more papers by this authorJunbiao Zhang, Corresponding Author Junbiao Zhang College of Economics and Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China Hubei Rural Development Research Center, Huazhong Agricultural University Correspondence to: Junbiao Zhang, College of Economics and Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China E-mail: zhangjb513@126.comSearch for more papers by this authorJunhui Feng, Junhui Feng College of Economics and Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China Hubei Rural Development Research Center, Huazhong Agricultural UniversitySearch for more papers by this authorTing Hu, Ting Hu College of Economics and Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China Hubei Rural Development Research Center, Huazhong Agricultural UniversitySearch for more papers by this authorLu Zhang, Lu Zhang College of Economics and Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China Hubei Rural Development Research Center, Huazhong Agricultural UniversitySearch for more papers by this author First published: 30 December 2015 https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.1611Citations: 36Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Abstract Reuse of agricultural waste plays a pivotal role in sustainable development and carbon emission abatement (CEA). We seek to confirm that social capital, which is a sociological concept, can influence farmers' willingness to reuse agricultural waste for CEA. Controlling for human capital and physical capital factors, we prove that social capital significantly affects farmers' willingness to reuse agricultural waste for CEA. In terms of driving farmers' willingness, the marginal utility of social capital varies with the dimension. Specifically, institutional trust is the largest driver, followed by civic engagement, interpersonal trust and norms of reciprocity networks. We also verify that a higher educational level, surplus labor (a human capital variable) and waste facility (a physical capital variable) can enhance farmers' willingness to reuse agricultural waste for CEA. Effective approaches to improve farmers' willingness to reuse agricultural waste for CEA include establishing a learning organization, strengthening the adaptability of environmental regulations in rural areas and forming strong social mores of mutual trust, mutual reciprocity and mutual benefit. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment Citing Literature Volume24, Issue2March/April 2016Pages 101-108 RelatedInformation