Agricultural Insurance: Innovations, Policies, and Pathways to Scale

Farm households face numerous risks that can discourage investments and trap them in poverty. Insurance should be a useful tool to reduce these hazards, but agricultural risks are inherently difficult to insure against. Willingness and capacity to pay insurance premiums also range widely.

The lack of adequate agricultural insurance is a major concern for governments, especially as climate change increases both the likelihood and severity of climate-related losses. Recent technological innovations in product quality and proven success in bundling insurance products provide new opportunities to increase the availability and use of insurance by smallholder farmers.

This policy seminar will convene key stakeholders present in Washington, DC during the World Bank and International Monetary Fund’s Spring Meetings to sustain momentum and shape a forward-looking agenda for innovation and impact. It will highlight why continued policy attention and investment remain essential, despite past challenges in sustaining agricultural insurance markets. Speakers will also discuss existing approaches that hold promise for scaling insurance and priority policy reforms and areas for continued innovation to facilitate scaling.

Opening Remarks

• Johan Swinnen, Director General, IFPRI
• Marcus Koll, Deputy Head of Division Climate Policy Division, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

Opening Panel: The Role of Agricultural Insurance in Unlocking Investment and Financing

Moderated by Charlotte Hebebrand, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, IFPRI

• Carola Alvarez, Managing Director, Office of Development Effectiveness (ODE), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
• Anup Jagwani, Global Director for Farming and Agribusiness Department, World Bank Group
• Ana Maria Loboguerrero, Director, Adaptive and Equitable Food Systems, Gates Foundation

What Have We Learned from Decades of Providing Agricultural Insurance?

• Berber Kramer, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI

Panel on Going to Scale: What Works and What Is the Agenda Going Forward?

Moderated by Ruth Hill, Director, Markets, Trade, and Institutions, IFPRI

• Samir Shah, Executive Vice-Chair, Dvara Holdings and Tarun Katoch, Co-Founder and Head of Value Chain, Dvara E-Registry
• Helga Flores Trejo, VP, Special Envoy Sustainability & Multilateral Affairs, Bayer
• Qhelile Ndlovu, Senior Financial Sector Specialist, World Bank
• Michael Carter, Distinguished Professor, University of California (UC), Davis
• Bridget Carle, Senior Vice President, Public Sector Practice, Guy Carpenter
• Ewan Wheeler, CEO, ACRE Africa

Closing Remarks

• Ruth Hill, Director, Markets, Trade, and Institutions, IFPRI