This article assesses the contribution of 6 main agricultural cooperatives as an institutional organizations in rural zones that can contribute to reduce the overuse of agrochemical pesticides (APs). Using a multistage sampling technique, 560 producers of 6 main cooperatives were selected, based on a survey conducted from May 2020 to July 2021 in seven subdivisions of the Western Region of Cameroon. Several methods, likes 2-Stage Residual Inclusive approach, built on an instrumental variable, the Endogenous Switching Probit model, and the Endogenous Switching Regression model, were used to deal with the endogeneity constraints of agricultural cooperative membership. Our outcome reveals that some sociodemographic variables such as producer’s age, level of education, household size, producer’s experience and labor force where the main factors influencing membership of a rural cooperative. The study further exposes that after joining an agricultural cooperative, the probability for a producer to sustainably manage the overuse of (APs) is 0.46 and the net return to APs increased by 45 XAF, this implies that membership in an agricultural cooperative significantly affect the likelihood of reducing overuse of APs and improves the net return per XAF. These results emphasize the relevance of a real policy of support for rural organizations to support biological and sustainable agriculture in Cameroon.

Keywords: Agrochemical Pesticides (APs), Cameroon, Cooperative membership, Endogeneity, Rural Producers.