May 2010: The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) released a report on “The potential for scale and sustainability in weather index insurance for agriculture and rural livelihoods.”

The report highlights the risk posed to agriculture by climate change and notes traditional ways that risk has been managed. It presents suggestions for index insurance for disaster relief and development, noting challenges and describing the experiences of the Weather Risk Management Facility. The paper then examines the key drivers of sustainability and scalability of weather index insurance and the potential roles for governments and donors to promote a scaling-up. The report underscores the role of non-profit organizations and donors to facilitate the creation of similar insurance systems to promote the engagement of private insurers. [The Report]