The effects of internet use on the cultivation of non-timber forest products

Abstract

Cultivating Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) serves as a crucial means to increase the income of impoverished households in remote areas, while also providing an important avenue towards achieving equitable economic development and environmental preservation. This paper explores the impact of the internet use on households' NTFPs cultivation practices. Based on the available dataset of 641 valid questionnaire responses collected through field research conducted by the research team, this study employs an in-depth analysis utilizing endogenous transformation models. Furthermore, the study recognizes the importance of considering heterogeneity among different user groups and purposes. The results indicate that households who use the internet with the proportion of NTFPs in their forest land being 8.863 % higher than others. Households who use the internet for sales having a proportion of NTFPs in their forest land that is 12.083 % higher than that of non-internet-using households, while households who use it for production only has a 6.971 % increase. Further analysis reveals that internet use increases households' social capital levels, thereby promoting NTFP cultivation, which is attributable to the rise of special e-commerce models such as WeChat business. Furthermore, the use of the internet to some extent reduces the supply of agricultural labor.