Research on the Impact of Cooperative Membership on Forest Farmer Household Income and Assets—Case Study from Liaoning Herbal Medicine Planting Cooperatives, China

Abstract

Improving the income and assets of forest farmers is the basis for realizing the sustainable development of forestry. In this paper, we tested the impact of membership in herbal medicine planting cooperatives on forest farmer household income and assets using the propensity score matching (PSM) method and household surveys of the study area. The results showed that cooperative membership can greatly improve forest farmer household income and assets; the higher the accumulation of forest farmer household social capital and human capital, the more farmers were inclined to participate in cooperatives. Householders who were migrant workers were more likely to make the decision to participate in cooperatives compared with those without migrant work experiences. The results of ATT further verified the conclusion that cooperative membership can significantly improve income and assets, which increased by 7.04% and 4.19%, respectively. In addition, according to the survey, the current development of cooperatives in the forestry area experienced problems such as inconsistent quantitative and qualitative development, insufficient driving force, irregular operating mode, inaccurate policy support, and inadequate guidance mechanisms. This paper focused on innovating cooperation mechanisms, enriching joint forms, enhancing driving capacity, stimulating internal driving forces, strengthening system construction, improving standards, enhancing guidance services, and strengthening institutional guarantees. These recommendations have been put forward to guide policy for sustainable forest development.