IFC, a member of the World Bank Group through its Global Index Insurance Facility (GIIF), has entered into a project agreement with SANASA Insurance Company Ltd, to support the development and use of flexible and affordable weather index insurance products to help minimize the impact of crop losses due to floods or droughts on farmer livelihoods. The project objective is to expand access to insurance for food crops such as rice and in turn offer protection for up to 15,000 small-scale farmers against weather-related risks and natural disasters. The project will also raise awareness amongst 50

PlaNet Guarantee, member of the PlaNet Finance Group, and the GIIF come together to launch the first regional management platform for index insurance. The objective is to cover 60 000 farmers in West Africa by 2015. While agriculture remains the main economic sector in West Africa (on average 30% of the GDP of countries in the region and 70% of the workforce), no risk management tool is offered to farmers to secure their income. In case of drought, floods, or due to other factors that could cause a significant drop in yields, farmers currently receive no form of protection. The traditional

MANILA, Philippines, October 23, 2014—The World Bank group this week brought together trade and agriculture officials from Africa, Asia, and Latin America with experts and private sector representatives for an international dialogue on how to overcome key trade barriers along agribusiness supply chains. The peer-to-peer learning event, titled “Leveraging Opportunities for Agri-Food Agencies in the Post Bali Era” and held in Manila October 22 and 23, aimed to help developing countries build efficient trade logistics systems and services that facilitate agribusiness trade while ensuring food

In the context of the New York 2014 Climate Week, GIIF and IRI co-organized the inaugural Climate Risk Forum 2014. This event gathered high-profile speakers to discuss "Building Innovative and Sustainable Index Insurance Markets in Developing Countries." It included a keynote address, followed by a panel discussion, and concluded with a question and answer session.

As Rwandan farmers face increasingly erratic rainfall, an innovative program launched today will use automated weather stations to offer 20,000 farmers in the Southern and Western provinces of Rwanda low-cost insurance to protect their loans for high-yielding seeds, fertilizers, and other farm inputs.