Agriculture in Rwanda accounts for one-third of Rwanda’s GDP; constitutes the main economic activity for rural households (especially women) and remains the main source of income. Today, the agricultural population is estimated to be a little less than 80% of the total population. The sector meets 90% of the national food needs and generates more than 70% of the country’s export revenues. (Source: Rwanda Development Board). Much of the agricultural land is rain-fed, with little or no irrigation available. This is exacerbated by the fact that more than 68% of Rwandan land is on hillsides with a

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a lower middle income country located in the Asian-Pacific region. Agriculture is the predominant source of livelihood in the country, with the agricultural sector accounting for 67% of the total labor force and 35% of the GDP in 2010. PNG has a very high exposure to earthquake, tsunami and volcanoes as well as being affected by climatic perils including tropical cyclones and the influence of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle which brings with it extremes of drought and excess rain and flooding. The Government of PNG identifies that agriculture has and

Jamaica faces a variety of natural hazards and, on a combined-hazard basis, is among the most vulnerable countries in the world . It lies in the center of the Atlantic hurricane belt, on a complex area of the northern Caribbean Plate margin, and is subject to tropical rainfall and erosion processes. Agriculture in Jamaica is vulnerable to various risks ranging from extreme winds, extreme rain and droughts . However, a large part of the agricultural sector, including large integrated supply chains as well as small farmers, is absorbing all the climate risks, without any risk out-transfer

The recent path of Tropical Storm Isaac in September 2012 caused the destruction of plantain fields in the South Region. This situation forced the national authorities to provide in-kind assistance (i.e. planting materials, fertilizers, cleaning labor, land preparation) to the most affected farmers. Although some private insurers provide agriculture insurance, the Ministry of Agriculture does not have a pre-defined budget to tackle the negative effects caused by events in the agricultural sector while it faces significant contingent liabilities in this sector. The Ministry of Agriculture of

Argentina’s agriculture sector is very vulnerable to weather risks. For instance, cotton in the Chaco Province - the most important cotton producing area in Argentina and the third poorest province - is very exposed to drought, excess rainfall and pests. Similarly, cattle-rearing in South West Buenos Aires Province is very exposed to droughts which impact severely on pasture production. In 2011, the Government of Argentina through the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MAGyP), requested the World Bank to conduct a feasibility study for the development of a suitable index-based

Agricultural insurance was introduced in Nigeria in 1987 through the creation of the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS). In 1993, the private company in charge of underwriting and implementing the NAIS was dissolved and replaced by a public-sector corporation, the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation, NAIC. Currently, NAIC oversees a portfolio of crop, forestry, livestock, poultry and aqua-culture insurance and also non-life commercial insurance lines. NAIC has received government support both in the form of the initial capitalization of the company and 50 percent premium