Enabling Smallholders to Stabilize Wheat Yields Sustainably With Knowledge-Perception-Social Capital

Abstract

Improving smallholders' motivation is very crucial to meet the escalating food demand within the constraints of sustainable agriculture. Although knowledge, perceived capacity, and social capital for sustainable production was acknowledged, the precise mechanisms of their interplay to promote smallholders stable yield increased sustainably remain inadequately understood. Therefore, we conducted an in-depth investigation involving 282 farmers in the North China Plain stratified into low-yielding (LF), medium-yielding (MF), and high-yielding (HF) groups to address the issue. The pivotal role played by integration of improved agronomic practice, farmer perception, and social capital for sustainable yield increased. The transition from LF to MF necessitates the enhancement of farmers' perception, while progressing from MF to HF entails fortifying social capital. This suggests that farmer group evolution from low to medium and high-yielding is realized by amalgamated technology, enhanced perception, and reinforced social capital. This study provides both practical foundations and theoretical underpinnings for smallholder sustainable development.