Government regulations, benefit perceptions, and safe production behaviors of family farms –– a survey based on Jiangxi Province, China

The promotion of safe production practices among family farms is of significant importance for ensuring food security, protecting the ecological environment, and achieving the "dual-carbon" goals. This article selected micro-survey data from family farms in Jiangxi Province and, based on the SOR theory, utilized a structural equation model to empirically investigate the impact of different types of government regulations on the safe production behaviors of family farms. It also explored the mechanisms of personal benefit perceptions and social benefit perceptions in this process. The results indicated that: (1) Apart from government punitive regulations, government normative, incentive, and service regulations not only directly influence the safe production behaviors of family farms but also indirectly promote the adoption of safe production behavior through benefit perceptions. (2) In terms of overall impact, the order of influence of various government regulations on the safe production behaviors of family farms is as follows: normative regulations > service regulations > incentive regulations. (3) In terms of direct impact, normative regulations have the greatest promoting effect on safe production behaviors, while service regulations have the smallest promoting effect. (4) In terms of indirect impact, social benefit perceptions have a stronger mediating effect in the influence of government regulations on safe production behaviors. To comprehensively promote the adoption of safe production behaviors by family farms, it is necessary to increase the intensity of government regulations and focus on enhancing the benefit perceptions of family farm operators.