Comparison of Cooperatives’ Members and Experts’ Views on Public Participation in Forestry and Rangeland By-Products (Case Study: Cooperative Companies, Lorestan Province, Iran)

Abstract

This research was conducted to investigate the factors contributing to the<br />failure in the forestry and rangeland by-product cooperative companies in Lorestan<br />province, Iran. A descriptive-correlative research design was used. The statistical<br />populations were 1100 people divided into two groups of experts from natural resource<br />agency in Lorestan province and members of cooperative companies. The sample size was<br />183 persons. Sampling method was simple random type using Neyman–Pearson model.<br />Data were analyzed based on descriptive statistics (T-Test) and Pearson correlation<br />method. Single-sample t-test results showed that the views of the two groups on the effects<br />of technical and economic barriers causing failure in cooperatives companies were the<br />same, but the expert's views were different for managerial, educational, cultural, social,<br />and legal indicators. Also the results of independent t-test between the two groups showed<br />that the views of both experts and members for economic, managerial, educational, and<br />legal barriers were the same, but their opinions for cultural, social and technical barriers<br />were different. The results of cooperatives' member's views ranked indicators as<br />managerial, legal, educational, cultural, social, economic, and technical barriers. For the<br />views of experts they were ranked as cultural, social, managerial, economic, legal,<br />technical, and educational barriers.