Poor rainfall in parts of Africa has triggered the largest insurance payout to date for smallholder farmers under the R4 Rural Resilience Initiative (R4), a program launched by the World Food Programme (WFP) and Oxfam America in 2011. African farmers will receive insurance payments totaling US$1.5 million to compensate for weather-related crop losses in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Senegal, and Zambia, Reliefweb reports, according to a WFP press release.

Compagnie Nationale d’Assurance Agricole du Sénégal (CNAAS) has selected Africa Re, the most prominent African Reinsurer, to lead the reinsurance program of 40,000 cotton and maize farmers in Senegal, jointly with AXA CS and CICA Re, according to a press release issued by Africa Re. The news indicates a positive development in the agriculture sector in Senegal, which accounts for 35% of annual GDP, as the country is facing several climate-related risks including drought and floods, undermining food production and jeopardizing food security. The development of index insurance in Senegal can be

In an article entitled "After a Poor Harvest in Senegal, farmers Find Creative Ways to Carry On", Oxfam wrote that Senegalese farmers use index insurance to protect their livelihoods from a bad harverst due to poor rainfall. " Farmers can pay the premium with cash, or through a work-for-insurance program designed to help build community infrastructure like rock walls in areas prone to flooding and severe erosion, or small dikes to store water for more gradual use," reads the article. In Senegal, index insurance is provided through the Oxfam and the World Food Programme’s R4 initiative. Click