The mechanism of relational embeddedness affecting the management ability of farmer: the mediating effect of knowledge learning and resource acquisition

Farmers' crop yields and prices are strongly affected by the market, and inadequate yields or poor product management will affect national food crop reserves and rural revitalization. Improving farmers' management capacity can reduce the market's influence on crop yields and prices, stabilize the market food supply and promote rural revitalization. This research is necessary for analyzing the mechanism through which relationship embeddedness affects farmers' management ability. To analyze farmers' management ability in depth, this study first introduces relational embeddedness to analyze the influencing mechanism of farmers' management ability. The second objective is to fill the gap in the literature on how relational embeddedness affects farmers' management ability and to study the role of social cognitive theory in farmers' learning behavior. Seven hypotheses are developed, and data from a questionnaire survey of 418 rural household members in three provinces of China are used. Structural equation modeling was used to test the relationship between variables using Amos 24.0. The research results show the following: (1) Relational embeddedness has a positive and significant impact on knowledge learning and resource acquisition. (2) Knowledge learning (beta = 0.552, p < 0.001) and resource acquisition (beta = 0.484, p < 0.001) have a positive and significant impact on the improvement of management capabilities. (3) The positive mediating effect of knowledge learning is greater than the positive mediating effect of resource acquisition. In the village where the farmer is located, local governments can carry out more technical training to improve farmers' knowledge and technology to more effectively improve farmers' management capabilities. In addition, farmers communicate with towns and cities through social relations; obtain more market information and product and equipment information; and learn market or product knowledge, thus improving their management ability.