Government Support To Agricultural Insurance

Governments in developing countries have been increasingly involved in the support of agricultural (crop and livestock) insurance programs in recent years. In their attempts to design and implement agricultural insurance, they have sought technical and financial assistance from the international community and particularly from the World Bank. One of the recurrent requests from governments regards international experience with agricultural insurance, not only in developed countries, where in some cases agricultural insurance has been offered for more than a century, but also in middleand low-income countries. Governments are particularly interested in the technical, operational, financial, and institutional aspects of public support to agricultural insurance. 'Government Support to Agricultural Insurance' informs public and private decision makers involved in agricultural insurance about recent developments, with a particular focus on middle- and low-income countries. It presents an updated picture of the spectrum of institutional frameworks and experiences with agricultural insurance, ranging from countries in which the public sector provides no support to those in which governments heavily subsidize agricultural insurance. This analysis is based on a survey conducted by the World Bank s agricultural insurance team in 2008 in 65 developed and developing countries. Drawing on the survey results, the book identifies some key roles governments can play to support the development of sustainable, affordable, and cost-effective agricultural insurance programs.

Government subsidized crop insurance has been used by a number of developed countries as a mechanism to reduce farm income instability by reducing yield risks. Economics of Agricultural Crop Insurance: Theory and Evidence provides an in-depth analysis and evaluation of government provided crop insurance in developed countries.

Since its inception in 1938, the program has evolved from an ancillary program with low participation to a central pillar of federal support for agriculture. As the program has grownin types of insurance policies, breadth of crops covered, and millions of acres enrolledso has the cost of the program to the federal government. The first two chapters provide an overview of the federal crop insurance program. Chapter 3 focuses entirely on delivery subsides and explains how delivery subsidies are calculated, the limitations of publicly available data on the actual delivery expenses of Approved Insurance Providers (AIPs), and how AIPs spend delivery subsidies. In 2010, USDA negotiated an agreement with insurance companies to set a national cap on the annual payments it makes to them for expenses and a target rate of return. Chapter 4 examines (1) the changes in expense payments to companies due to the cap, (2) the extent to which the programs target rate of return reflects market conditions, and (3) opportunities for the federal government to reduce its delivery costs for the program. Before the Agricultural Act of 2014 cotton was eligible for most Federal farm programs. The 2014 Farm Act eliminated multiple programs, including the Direct and Countercyclical Program, while introducing several new programs, including the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO), and Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX). Chapter 5 focuses on the two new programs for cotton and examines the mechanics of the programs and their revenue impacts. Catastrophic coverage for noninsurable crops, known as the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), has been available since the Federal Crop Insurance Reform Act of 1994. Chapter 6 examines the effects of the 2014 NAP policy change. Crop insurance premium subsidies are an important part of Compliance incentives under the 2014 Act. Farm program benefits under the 2014 Act could be as high or higher than under the 2008 Farm Act; but for individual farms, the shift toward a crop insurance-oriented policy could increase or decrease Compliance incentives as reported in the last chapter.

Agriculture is a $20-billion industry, an important source of employment, and a major contributor to Canada's balance of trade. This publication outlines the complete range of federal programs designed to assist farmers. It focuses on safety net programs, financing assistance and tax measures, developmental programs, and special assistance measures.

These OECD workshop proceedings examine the various risk strategies used by farm households, in particular those attracting renewed interest such as diversification of income sources, vertical co-ordination, hedging on futures markets, insurance coverage and public safety-nets.

Compilation, conference papers, research reports on crop insurance for agricultural development in developed countries and developing countries - considers farmers' and banks' demand as well as state aid for agricultural insurance; discusses practical experiences in Brazil, Japan and the USA. Bibliography, graphs, statistical tables.

This book is devoted to the complex relationship between the global trading system and food security, focusing on two important elements: the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) and how food price volatility can be managed, or not, through trade instruments. The first section of the book is based on the premise that more trade integration can fight poverty and alleviate hunger. The second section examines whether managing price volatility is doable through more or less trade integration. This section deals in particular with policy instruments available for policy makers to cope with price volatility: food stocks, crop insurance, and export restrictions. Analysis concludes that without a strong and efficient World Trade Organization (WTO) capable of conducting ambitious trade negotiations, the food security target will be much more difficult to hit.