Download full publication Crop insurance in the Sahel enables farmers to take a higherrisk by getting more fertilizers.Crop insurance in the Sahel stimulates the production of insured farmers compared with non-insured farmers. However, despite the apparent differences in fertilizers and production, the two groups get almost the same yield. Non-insured farmers seem to be more specialized in agriculture.

In the last decade, some insurance associations (IAs) have expanded beyond their traditional core functions to develop insurance consumer education (ICE) programmes. Based on a review of the experiences of IAs in five countries, namely Brazil, Colombia, Kenya, Mexico and South Africa, Microinsurance Paper #31 discusses the steps that should be taken during the preparation of an ICE. These include assigning responsibility internally, defining funding mechanisms, setting clear goals, defining the programme target and identifying partnership opportunities. It goes on to summarize key lessons for

Gender equality is gaining increasing attention as illustrated by the third Millennium Development Goal (MDG number 3): “promote gender equality and empower women”.This goal was set after the realisation that women and men face the same obstacles but have unequal access to resources enabling them to overcome these obstacles: unequal access to resources,education, technology, labour, capital and credit.

This report explores evidence and insights from five case studies that have made significant recentprogress in addressing the challenge of insuring poor smallholder farmers and pastoralists in thedeveloping world. In India, national index insurance programmes have reached over 30 million farmersthrough a mandatory link with agricultural credit and strong government support. In East Africa (Kenya,Rwanda and Tanzania), the Agriculture and Climate Risk Enterprise (ACRE) has recently scaled to reachnearly 200,000 farmers, bundling index insurance with agricultural credit and farm inputs. ACRE

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