Study on the Impact of Social Capital on Agricultural Land Transfer Decision: Based on 1017 Questionnaires in Hubei Province

In building a market for the transfer of land contracting rights, it is crucial to clarify the influencing factors for farmers’ farmland transfer decisions to promote the orderly transfer of farmland. This article investigates the impact of social capital on farmland transfer and analyzes the moderating effect of marketization of farmland transfer using research data from 1017 farm households in Hubei Province. The results showed that social capital significantly contributes to farmers’ farmland transfer decisions; social networks and social trust have more potent effects on farmland transfer-in than farmland transfer-out and social norms have more substantial effects on farmland transfer-out than farmland transfer-in; and farmland transfer marketization plays a moderating role in the process of social capital’s influence on farmland transfer decisions. In terms of farmland transfer-out, marketization of farmland transfer plays a negative moderating role between social network, social trust, and farmland transfer decision, and a positive moderating role between social norm and farmland transfer decision. In terms of farmland transfer-in, marketization of farmland transfer plays a negative moderating role between social network, social trust, and farmland transfer decision, and no moderating role in social norm and farmland transfer decision. The study concludes that local governments need to strengthen the construction of social norms and the reconstruction of social trust and networks to create a favorable environment for agricultural land transfer while improving the construction of regional agricultural land transfer markets and promoting the development of market transformation.