Coastal farmers affected by drought compensated for crop losses

KWALE, Kenya, Jan 27 – Farmers across Kwale, Taita Taveta, and Kilifi counties whose produce was affected by drought are set to reimbursed by agriculture insurance service provider Pula Advisors and APA Insurance.

This marks a great step towards agriculture insurance which is key to improving the resilience of farmers in case of a catastrophe beyond their control – such as floods, drought, pests, and diseases.

Under the Government-led KCEP-CRAL program, the firm announced that they are disbursing Shs 85,193,947 to compensate 13,523 farmers who cultivate cowpeas, green grams, sorghum, and maize.

The program funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) is supported by the European Union, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and Food Agricultural Organisation (FAO) had reached over 100,000 farmers by the end of 2021 providing them with high-quality inputs,  access to markets, and crop insurance.

Rose Goslinga – President and Co-Founder of Pula Advisors said the insurance service is aimed at supporting farmers who are affected by unpredictable rain patterns, frequent droughts, and even the emergence of new pests.

“As an insurance service provider, we developed and deployed our agriculture insurance products to help the smallholder farmers to build resilience. This distinguishes it from weather index insurance, which was previously available, which only provides cover against the weather.

AIP CEO Ashok Shah said the compensation will go a long way in building the productivity of Kenyan smallholder farmers.

“The insurance payout marks a big step in ensuring that the smallholder farmers are cushioned against the ongoing climate changes and risk and that they are resilient. This will further ensure that the farmers increase their productivity and transition into subsequent e-voucher stage of program support” senior program coordinator Cosmas Munyeke added.