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Writes Elvis Dumba
Zvimba – The agriculture sector is facing a huge challenge due to the ever-changing weather patterns as a result of climate change.
Zimbabwean farmers involved in various agriculture sectors have not been spared from the effects of climate change with threats of another poor rainy season due to the expected El-Nino weather phenomenon.
Normal to below-average rains are expected this farming season a situation that calls for farmers to think outside the box to secure better yields.
Farmers have been urged to embrace agriculture insurance to help secure their investments.
Gilbert Paradza, a cattle rancher in Zvimba District said farmers should embrace agriculture insurance to secure their investments from unexpected weather-related challenges.
“The weather patterns are always changing and as farmers, we need to be progressive and find ways that will help us secure our investments such as insuring our farming investments from effects of climate change weather-induced challenges,” he urged.
Farmers are being urged to invest in insurance such as index-based insurance a policy that will help the farmer get compensation for yield reduction due to various climate change-induced weather challenges.
The sentiments were echoed by an agriculture insurance expert, Mr. Cuthbert Masukume who is the General Manager of AFC Insurance Company.
“Since farming is a serious business, it is necessary for farmers to ensure that their investments are secured and their food security guaranteed. In Zimbabwe, the banking sector is making strides in supporting farmers.
“We are complementing government efforts to ensure food security for the country and as AFC, with our technical partners, we are providing an index-based insurance product where indemnity is paid to the farmer if the realized average yield for the area is less than the insured yield. It covers reduction in yield caused by the effects of drought, cyclones, windstorms, frost, excessive rainfall, heatwave, fire, hail, flood, and pests & diseases.,” Masukume said.
The insurance product is an example of one of the best investments a farmer can get compensation from if his farming expected yields are affected by the ever-changing weather patterns.
” The loss suffered by the insured farmer is determined through conducting crop-cut experiments. This type of index insurance requires reliable and traceable historical area yield data on which the normal average yield and insured yield can be established.
In light of the climate vulnerability, the yield index insurance product is indeed a game changer as it seeks to cover almost anything that can go wrong on the farm, thus providing a safety net for the farmer.” Masukume elaborated
The Climate change weather-induced challenges impact greatly on the farmers and the country’s food security as well as infrastructure losses which call for a robust insurance sector capable of providing prompt compensation and assistance to affected farmer.
Mr. Masukume said AFC Insurance Company offers services that respond to the mitigation of climate change effects on the farming sector.
“Climate change has amplified the need for financial protection and as an institution, we are educating and encouraging farmers to embrace climate-smart agriculture insurance options and secure their investments as climate change has caused a shift in how risk is perceived in the agriculture sector,” he said.
The government, through the Minister of Agriculture, has been urging farmers to invest in insurance as some farmers have lost millions of investments due to natural disasters.
Dr John Basera, Ministry of Agriculture Permanent Secretary said it’s high time that farmers embrace insurance to safeguard their investments.
“It is imperative that farmers are insured so that they protect themselves from unexpected losses due to unpredictable natural weather disasters. As the government, we are doing everything to ensure that the farming industry does not suffer unexpected losses related to weather-induced challenges,” he said in a telephone interview.
Drought, cyclones, hailstorms, and other weather-related challenges have forced some farmers out of business in the past after climate change-related disasters affected their agriculture investments.