LIVE WEBCAST January 28: Insuring the Future of Farmers Under Climate Change

Weather shocks-- from changing temperatures to fluctuations in rainfall-- pose a serious risk for low-income farmers, pastoralists, fisherfolk and others whose livelihoods depend on the natural resources impacted by these changes.

The CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) is working with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and other partners around the world to develop index-based insurance schemes that help secure farmers’ livelihoods and give them the capacity to invest in climate-smart technologies, thereby helping to secure the world’s food supply.

For example, researchers at IFPRI are evaluating the potential of "weather securities," a flexible, individualized insurance product, to fill the market gap for smallholders too poor or geographically far-flung for traditional insurance companies. "We've created a very simple product to encourage uptake," says Miguel Robles, Research Fellow at IFPRI in the Markets, Trade and Institutions Division. In past five years, IFPRI launched weather index-based insurance studies in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. With CCAFS and the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions and Markets (PIM), IFPRI will be testing new technologies for improving the accuracy of loss assessment tools, says Robles, which could increase the appeal of weather index-based insurance for both smallholders and insurance companies.

Please join us for a CCAFS panel discussion, streaming live below January 28 starting 14:30 GMT, which will examine insurance schemes that have reached large numbers of farmers, drawing forth lessons applicable to scaling up insurance in new contexts.

LIVE FEED (start time 14:30 GMT, program included below)

PROGRAM

14:30 GMT Pushing the goal post

Advances that can make a difference.
Jon Hellin, Value Chain and Poverty Specialist for CIMMYT's Socio-economics program (SEP)

Breakthroughs In India
Pramod Aggarwal, Regional Program Leader, CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS)

14:45 Answering the tough questions – Q&A with the panel

• How valuable is insurance for building the resilience of farmers?
•What is being done at scale in India and can mega-scaling be achieved?
•What is being planned in Nigeria, what are the tough challenges?
•What innovations we can expect in the coming years?

Panelists:
Ms. Clare Shakya, Climate Change Team Leader, Africa Regional Dept, DFID
Mr. Bashiru Martins, Deputy General Manager, Agricultural Insurance Corporation of Nigeria
Mr. Joseph Plappallil, Chairman and Managing Director, Agriculture Insurance Company of India
Ms. Christina Ulardic, Head of Market Development Africa, Swiss Re
Mr. Richard Choularton, Head, Climate Resilience Unit, World Food Program
Dr. Chirantan Bannerjee, Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

15:15 Q&A with audience and online viewers

15:45 Closing remarks

Dr Débísí Àràbà, Team Leader, Environment and Climate Change Unit, Office of the Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nigeria

Rachel Kohn is a member of the Markets, Trade and Institutions Division (MTID) at IFPRI.