The Government of Zambia has called on insurance firms to develop affordable weather index insurance products in the wake of climate change as they are part of the risk management mechanisms for crop protection among small-scale farmers, Zambia Daily Mail has reported. Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Given Lubinda said the effects of climate change are real, and Zambia is not excluded from the impact, evidenced by the negative impact of the El Niño phenomenon the country experiened during the 2015/16 farming season. “Therefore, farmers’ access to risk mitigation tools such as insurance, proper farming techniques and other extension services is vital to ensuring that when adverse events occur, small-scale farmers are not left out entirely. It is therefore necessary to ensure that we put in place platforms that will give farmers easy access to financial services and insurance which ensure their sustained livelihoods,” the Minister was quoted as saying.

 

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