In 2011, the World Bank Group and Partner Sanasa Insurance Company Ltd. (SICL) , supported by the Global Index Insurance Facility (GIIF), started working on stimulating the weather-related index insurance market in Sri Lanka through a combination of capacity building and awareness raising activities at both the institutional and the smallholder farmer levels.
Weather index
52% of the population in Haiti lives in rural areas. However, Haitian agriculture historically remained unprofitable and financial credit to agriculture represents less than 1% of the total loan portfolio of banks. As a consequence, 60% of the food consumed in Haiti is imported. Agricultural production is severely affected by natural catastrophes such as excessive rain, hurricane strength winds, and droughts.
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Argentina’s agriculture sector is very vulnerable to weather risks. For instance, cotton in the Chaco Province - the most important cotton producing area in Argentina and the third poorest province - is very exposed to drought, excess rainfall and pests. Similarly, cattle-rearing in southwest Buenos Aires Province is very exposed to droughts which impact severely on pasture production.
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* World Bank announces $1.7 million funding for program * Designed to insure against hurricanes like Sandy in 2012 By Susana Ferreira PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Jan 29 (Reuters) - When Hurricane Sandy struck Haiti late last year, the home Guerda Pierre shares with her three children and mother in Cabaret, north of Port-au-Prince, was flooded - and so was the merchandise she sold to make a living. "The books, the food, everything was wet after Sandy," said Pierre. The plantain plants and beans in her garden were also destroyed. But unlike the majority of Haitians, Pierre had an insurance policy.
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 rainfed, with little or no irrigation available. This is exacerbated by the fact that more than 68% of Rwandan land is on hillsides with a slope greater than 16%. The majority of agricultural activities are by non-commercialized smallholder farmers, with minimal investment leading to reduced yields and continued food insecurity. Commercial banks and microfinance institutions are using weather index insurance as a tool to reduce their portfolio at risk when lending to smallholders. This enables rural investment to increase, which in turns provides higher agricultural outputs leading to higher incomes. In addition, weather index insurance provides a safety net against the effects of adverse weather.
In Mozambique, agriculture accounts for approximately 32% of GDP and involves over 81% of the population. Yet, only a fraction of Mozambique’s potentially arable land is currently under cultivation. This lack of arable land usage is in large part due to risk aversion on the part of farmers and financial institutions since natural hazards such as droughts and floods regularly affect agricultural production. Up until recently, no market for agriculture insurance products existed for smallholder farmers in Mozambique leaving poor farmers in the country highly exposed to natural perils. This hinders their access to third-party capital, discourages the use of new farming techniques/technologies and overall hampers the ability of smallholders to exit poverty. As a direct result of a Local Capacity Building grant awarded to Guy Carpenter in 2011 from the World Bank Group's GIIF, the firm ─ in conjunction with the Asia Risk Centre Inc., Hollard Mozambique and EMOSE ─ designed, developed, and deployed two agriculture weather index insurance pilots in Mozambique in late 2012. The index-based insurance products covered maize farmers in the district of Chimoio and cotton production in the districts of Lalaua and Monapo.
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ACRE Africa (formerly the Kilimo Salama project of the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture) is having an active project in Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania. The largest private sector index-based insurance program in Kenya and Africa develops and offers insurance for African farmers (smallholder to large-scale commercial farmers) so that they can feel confident investing in their farms and feed their communities. The initiative has designed insurance products to cover a variety of crops against drought, erratic rain, and disease. is an insurance initiative of the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture. It develops and offers insurance for African farmers (smallholder to large-scale commercial farmers) so that they can feel confident investing in their farms and feed their communities. The initiative has designed insurance products to cover a variety of crops against drought, erratic rain, and disease.
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Cattle production is a key economic activity in Uruguay, contributing nearly 50% of the value of exports. However beef cattle production is heavily exposed to the effects of weather events. On several occasions, droughts have resulted in livestock loss and reduction in productivity and fertility of surviving cows.
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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 writes a portfolio of crop, forestry, livestock, poultry and aquaculture 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% premium subsidies on
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Benin is a small country with a population estimated at just under 10 million in 2011, and the national economy relies on the agriculture sector, in particular on cotton. Indeed, the agriculture sector accounts for about 32% of GDP and is the source of livelihood for nearly 70% of the country’s workforce. As part of its Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (2011-2015), Benin has identified agricultural diversification and improved agricultural productivity as two key priorities.