Enhancing microfinance using index-based risk-transfer products

Jerry R. Skees, Barry J. Barnett

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

56 Scopus citations

Abstract

While significant progress in microcredit and microfinance has been made in low-income countries, lending for small farming enterprises has been limited. This article reviews how innovative index-based risk-transfer products (IBRTPs) can be used to transfer the correlated natural disaster risks that often hamper the development of farm-level microcredit. By linking lending to IBRTPs, access to microcredit can be enhanced while also providing opportunities to offer mutual sharing of the basis risk that remains after correlated risks are transferred into global markets. This opens the way for new thinking about developing agricultural insurance in low-income countries.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)235-250
Number of pages16
JournalAgricultural Finance Review
Volume66
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 1 2006

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2006, Emerald Group Publishing Ltd.

Keywords

  • Agricultural finance
  • Agricultural insurance
  • Agricultural poverty
  • Disaster risk management/mitigation
  • Index-based risk transfer
  • Microcredit
  • Microfinance
  • Microinsurance
  • Rural credit markets

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous)
  • Economics, Econometrics and Finance (miscellaneous)

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