Impact of Cooperative Membership on Maize Harvest Losses in China

Countries are accelerating actions to reduce food loss and waste to ensure global food security and sustainable development. Cooperatives are considered important channels for promoting the use of agricultural technologies and improving farmers' skills, which are regarded as key factors in reducing harvest losses. However, owing to data limitations, few systematic assessments of the effects of cooperative membership on food losses exist. On the basis of survey data from 703 maize growers in three major maize production areas in China, propensity score matching (PSM) and endogenous switching regression (ESR) were used in this study to evaluate the effects of cooperative membership on the maize harvest losses of households. The results revealed that membership significantly reduced maize harvest losses by 68%, saving farmers an average of 238.05 kg per ha, which is worth $91.92 per ha. Membership also contributed to minor pest attacks and better working attitudes during the harvest stage. Cooperative membership is critically important for China's food security, resource conservation, and environmental protection. If the average maize harvest loss reaches the level of loss observed among member households, then it is possible to meet the food consumption needs of 13.61 million people, saving 0.74 million ha of land and 0.29 million tons of fertilizer used for maize production and reducing carbon emissions by 4.04 million tons and the water footprint by 6.43 billion m3.