Catastrophe weather derivative

Op-ed: Binhi Micro-Crop Insurance Program
In a Business Mirror (Philippines) Op-ed, Dennis B. Funa, the Philippines's insurance commissioner, wrote that the Binhi Micro-Crop Insurance Program of CARD Pioneer Microinsurance Inc. will benefit smallholder farmers face typhoon risks. When leading portfolios of micro-finance institutions are protected by insurance, farmers are also protected. The Binhi Micro-Crop Insurance is supported by the Global Index Insurance Facility and the Government of Canada.
In the Eye of a Cyclone
In India's the Hindu, Sucharita Mukherjee, CEO of IFMR Holdings, wrote that risk management through a range of financial products can minimize losses to livelihood. "Catastrophes such as drought, floods and earthquakes not only impact the economy of a nation but also affect the very subsistence of poor and vulnerable communities," reads the Op-ed. The article also cites index insurance practices in Ghana and Mongolia, where, respectively, drought index insurance covers all the growing stages of maize and index-based livestock insurance protects livestock against particularly strong winters
China’s Insurance Industry Must Respond to Climate Risks
On Chinadialogue.net, Zhang Chun, Senior Researcher at Chinadialogue, wrote that the Chinese government is pushing the insurance industry to offer climate risk policies, as climate changes increases the frequency and severity of typhoons. In the agricultural sector, the most relevant type of insurance policy related to climate change in China is called climate index insurance. Instead of determining pay-outs on the basis of damage and loss, policies are based on a weather index that sets compensation levels based on different weather conditions, such as rainfall," Zhang adds. Click here to
Feasibility study for index-insurance and awareness raising - Nigeria
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
Climate Corporation Builds Massive Data Platform for Agriculture in the US
According to The Climate Corporation – a tech company based in San Francisco -- data science has the potential to fundamentally improve the productivity and sustainability of global agriculture. Since 2007, the Climate Corporation has been hard at work building a technology platform that combines hyper-local weather monitoring, agronomic data modeling, and high-resolution weather simulations that are updated hourly. On the platform (see www.climate.com), Climate has built products to protect farmers with index-based insurance and improve profits with software that help farmers make more
IFC and Partners to Launch Typhoon Insurance for Filipino Farmers
IFC will work with the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development Insurance Agency and the Pioneer Insurance and Surety Corporation to design new insurance products that aim to protect Filipino farmers against typhoon-related losses, which are estimated to have exceeded $2.5 billion since 2009. According to the 2012 World Disaster Report, the Philippines ranks as the third most disaster-prone country in the world, with an average of 20 typhoons per year. The project will enable CARD Insurance and Pioneer Insurance to offer indemnity insurance to thousands of farmers and rural entrepreneurs
IFC, EU and Syngenta Foundation to Expand Weather Insurance to One Million East African Farmers
GIIF, a member of the World Bank Group, signed two grant agreements, with a combined value of $3.9 million, with the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture to expand index-based insurance to small-scale farmers in Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. Index-based weather insurance can protect against the adverse effects of climate change and help to strengthen food security in rural communities.
Protecting Senegal's Farmers Against Drought and Crop Failure
The soil that Abdoulaye Ndiaye holds in his hand is dry and dusty. A little further away in the Kaolack region the groundnut plants are already beginning to spring up in the fields, but in Paskoto village Abdoulaye and his fellow farmers have not seen a drop so far this season. "The most important challenge for us is the weather. It is God who decides. We have no choice, but are just left looking for ways to handle the situation," Abdoulaye says, now using his hand to shield his eyes against the stark sunlight.
Food and Nutrition Security, Agriculture and Climate Change
On the sidelines of UNFCCC COP20 the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) and CARE will host a half day seminar to raise awareness and showcase actions on approaches to address the food and nutrition security and climate change challenges.
Weather Index Insurance for Maize Production in Eastern Indonesia
This study explores the feasibility of weather index insurance (WII) in providing cost-effective ways for rural dwellers to manage risk and better cope with catastrophic events. The case study analyzed is drought coverage for maize production risk in Eastern Indonesia. Indonesia is considered one of the more vulnerable countries to hydro-meteorological risks in Asia. In some agricultural areas, harvest and production dip significantly during ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) events due to belownormal rainfall. Indonesian production is highly dependent upon rainfall. Only 17 percent of the