| Abstract: | Cooperatives are increasingly advocated as a means to improve incomes, livelihoods and the sustainability of smallholder farmers. This study analyzes the impact of commercial vegetable cooperative membership on smallholder agricultural performance in Cambodia. Institutional heterogeneities are considered across cooperatives and various econometric techniques are used to control for potential selection bias. The impacts of horticulture on agricultural outcomes are also analyzed. The results indicate that membership of commercial vegetable cooperatives has so far had no effect on agricultural incomes or the value or amounts of agricultural inputs. However, results indicate that membership has affected technology choice, access to credit services and information transmission through technological training. Additionally, there is evidence that horticulture, as a component of overall agricultural diversification, can augment farm income. The results suggest that much of the benefit of cooperative membership stems from the cooperative's provision of services, which might not be easily inferred from measures of member incomes. |
