Effect of participation in commercial production of medicinal plants through community-based conservation groups on farm income at Kakamega forest, Kenya

Forest conservation by peripheral communities is one of the most advocated
strategies for ensuring sustainable supply of forest goods and services.
In Kenya, although conservation activities generate considerable
environmental improvements, studies evaluating the economic benefits are
very limited. This study aimed at assessing the impact of participating in
the commercialization training program by forest adjacent communities on
farm income. Utilizing matching techniques, the analysis is based on the
data collected from a randomly selected sample of farm households around
Kakamega forest in Kenya. The results show that age, forest distance,
forest benefit, market distance and farming experience are the main
factors that influence the participation in the commercialization program.
Also, participating in commercial production of medicinal plants has a
positive and significant effect on farmers’ income. The average treatment
effect on the treated (ATT), based on three estimation algorithms, ranges
from KSH. 80,047 to KSH. 176,788 per hectare, per year, implying that
policy efforts that focus on the participation in the commercialization
program of medicinal plants can enhance incomes among farm-dependent
households. The findings from this study suggest that upscaling the
participation in the commercialization program to other areas.