Full Publication This pre-feasibility report was prepared for the Ford Foundation by Jason Hartell of GlobalAgRisk, Inc., Ntongi McFadyen of the Livelihoods Department of Save the Children, USA, and Jerry Skees of GlobalAgRisk, Inc., under Ford Grant No. 1100-0121 and IIEF Program No. FF-5H016. GlobalAgRisk is a policy-oriented firm with close ties to the University of Kentucky. Our work is supported by international donors who recognize the importance of markets in transferring natural disaster risk as a means for developing and enhancing access to financial service by the productive poor

Index insurance is a relatively new but innovative approach to insurance provision that pays out benefits on the basis of a pre determined index (e.g. rainfall level) for loss of assets and investments, primarily working capital, resulting from weather and catastrophic events, without requiring the traditional services of insurance claims assessors. It also allows for the claims settlement processes to be quicker and more objective. Before the start of the insurance period, a statistical index is developed measuring deviations from the normal level of parameters such as rainfall, temperature

This Masters thesis presents the results of a pilot scale study on weather index-based rice insurance in Zhejiang province, China. The goal of this thesis is to find the best suited weather index-based rice insurance model for each rice cropping zone of Zhejiang. By testing a wide range of weather indexes for their relationship with the rice yield per unit land in each rice cropping zone using classic regression models, a set of weather indexes were selected for each rice cropping zone of Zhejiang. A rice insurance product was then designed based on the relationship between the chosen weather index and rice yield. Basis risks were studied in detail in this thesis, and were reduced in the insurance model by defining the insurable farming scale to rice cropping zone and by removing the time trend in rice yields. The results show diversified features in weather index and insurance product design of different rice cropping zones in Zhejiang.

This paper presents preliminary results on the possible demand for weather insurance in China. Results from 1,564 farm households from Western and Central China between October 2007 and October 2008 suggest that the greater risk for farmers is drought followed by excessive rain. Heat is less critical as a risk but more significant than cool weather. Results suggest a strong interest in precipitation insurance with 50% and 44% of respondents indicating strong interest in the product. Supplementary results indicate that interest is equal between planting, cultivating, and harvesting. Furthermore results suggest that farmers are willing to adopt new ideas, and where possible already take action to self insure through diversification and other means, The results are encouraging. Examples and discussion of how weather insurance can be implemented is included in the text.

Policymakers in Indonesia are considering how to ensure greater food security, boost incomes of farmers and rural communities, and expand agricultural production to meet rising food demand from an increasingly urban population. The Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, KADIN, is taking a leadership role in the national discussion on agricultural policy. Agricultural finance is a critical element in this discussion, and KADIN has requested USAID’s SEADI Project to prepare an analysis of the situation related to key commodity value chains, including rice, corn, and beef cattle, as well as a review of global trends in agricultural finance. This report responds to KADIN’s call for fresh analysis and recommendations on how to improve agricultural finance in Indonesia. In light of recent dramatic food price hikes, and before the convening of the PISAgro working group on agricultural finance, the report arrives at an important point in time.

Unlike conventional insurance, which indemnifies policyholders for verifiable production losses arising from multiple perils, index insurance indemnifies policyholders based on the observed value of a specified “index” or some other closely related variable that is highly correlated with losses. Index insurance exhibits lower transaction costs than conventional insurance, potentially making it more affordable to the poor in the developing world. However, it also offers less effective individual risk protection. This article provides a review of recent theoretical and empirical research on index insurance for developing countries and summarizes lessons learned from index insurance projects implemented in the developing world since 2000

The nature of does nothing in itself to stimulate the growing of agricultural crops but it can insure the non-growing of them (Geertz, 1963). The nongrowing and loss of crops due to biophysical and geophysical processes have been interpreted as risks and catastrophes that human being need to anticipate. This paper asks: what were the impacts of natural catastrophes on Indonesian agricultural crops during the last four decades? And what are the options available to mitigate future agriculture loss and safeguard food production in Indonesia? The quantitative analysis is based on two national datasets from Indonesia, namely the Disaster Loss data from Agricultural Statistics produced by the Ministry of Agriculture in 2009 and an online disaster database from the National Disaster Management Office updated in March 2012. This research concludes that Indonesia can achieve better food production by adopting multiloss mitigation scenarios. The chapter further highlights the impact of climate change on Indonesian agriculture, and existing policy instruments concerning disaster risk reduction in agricultural sectors. In addition, it makes policy recommendations for the Indonesian government and the international community regarding alternative solutions towards agricultural resilience.

The development of agriculture and the rural economy play a crucial role in China’s socioeconomic system. Agriculture insurance has become key in ensuring the growth of agriculture and stabilizing farmers’ income when faced with natural disasters. The focus of this article is the history of the development of Chinese agriculture insurance since the 1980s and the trial of a new agriculture insurance launched in 2007, the policy details implemented in selected provinces, and the operation models. Using results from an investigation and field survey conducted since 2007 in Hunan Province, this article analyzes the performance and effects of this agriculture insurance trial run from the perspectives of different participating stakeholders, and with an emphasis on the program’s four principles. The experience and lessons learned are summarized, followed by recommendations on how to ensure the smooth operation and sustainable development of this new agriculture insurance program.

Asia and the Pacific region has one of the highest exposures of any region in the world to natural hazards including typhoons, floods, landslides, droughts, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. Weather-related risks, particularly hurricanes, flooding and drought, are a frequent occurrence and affect crop yields, livelihoods and assets, and the personal safety of vulnerable groups across the region. The frequency with which these disasters occur often taxes the ability of such groups to rebound quickly, increasing their risk of hunger and malnutrition. Low-cost agricultural insurance schemes are increasingly viewed as mechanisms for providing social protection to the increasing numbers of people affected by such risks and in helping to lessen the impacts they suffer owing to such shocks.