This manual introduces and discusses agricultural insurance and provides tools for the development, management, operation, and maintenance of such programs. Agricultural insurance includes a variety of product types, including property, causality, life, and health insurance. Throughout the manual, the term “agricultural insurance” refers to crop (and in some cases livestock insurance programs.


Successful agricultural insurance programs must be thoughtfully constructed before their introduction and tailored to the unique circumstances of individual countries and regions; poorly designed insurance programs will fail and generate losses for invested parties while creating distrust among producers and the public. Successful programs must inspire a high degree of confidence among all stakeholders.