Abstract: Social capital, as an important resource of farmer, plays an increasingly significant role in agricultural credit market. The paper theoreticlly analyzes the impact mechanism of social capital on the farmer credit and the result is that the repayment inclination and repayment ability codetermine farmer credit and farmers’ credit status. The system attributes and relational atttibutes of social capital has two functions in farmer repayment inclination: inspiring function and restricting function, which is respectively exerted by system attributes through supervision, reputation and punishment mechanism and by relational atttibutes through income, credit and risk management channels. Therefore, financial institutions should take social capital as the point of breakthrough in establishing information communication mechanisms with farmers and the means of risk control.

摘要： 摘 要：作为农户重要资源的社会资本在农贷市场中的作用日益凸显。本文从理论上分析社会资本对农户信用行为的影响机制，结论如下：还款意愿和还款能力共同决定农户信用行为和信用状况。社会资本的制度属性和关系属性对农户还款意愿发挥激励与约束功能，其中制度属性通过监督机制、声誉机制和惩罚机制三种途径对农户还款意愿发挥着约束功能，而资本属性则通过信号传递机制和预期收益机制两种途径发挥激励功能。社会资本通过收入途径、信贷途径和风险管理途径等三种途径提升农户的还款能力。因此，金融机构可以以社会资本为突破口建立起与农户的信息沟通机制和风险控制手段。