Weather Indexed Insurance Plus (WII+) for Smallholder Farmers in Kenya

The project aimed to develop a weather-indexed crop insurance product, referred to as Kinga Kilimo, to increase the adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers in Kenya. A farmer needs assessment was conducted in Machakos and Embu counties to understand crop varieties, perceived weather risks, and seasonal trends. The results informed the business case and crop modeling exercise. A business case was developed for WII+, which included a business plan, crop modeling, and implementation sites. The partnership established a business-to-business engagement with fertilizer distributors to bundle the crop insurance product with fertilizer inputs. GeoCLIM, a software designed for meteorological data mapping and climatological analysis, was used to develop the Kinga Kilimo product structure and premium indicative ratings for maize and pulses in Embu and Machakos. The Kenya Meteorological Department provided daily rainfall data, and FEWS NET developed crop water requirement satisfaction index maps for Machakos and Embu counties. The WII+ initiative utilized climate information derived from GeoCLIM to design insurance packages that cushion farmers against weather and climate vagaries. The project addressed both ex-ante and ex-post risks faced by farmers at the farm level. Weather index insurance provided payouts after defined events, such as crop failure due to rainfall deficit, while agro-weather information was a decision support mobile text message disseminated to farmers based on downscaled seasonal and dekadal weather forecasts. The Kinga Kilimo Partnership aimed to develop mechanisms to increase the adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers to manage climate risk. The objectives of the project included blending observed and satellite weather daily datasets, providing ICT-based agro-weather advisory to farmers via SMS, and producing downscaled weather forecasts to meet agro-weather advisory specifications. The project utilized multiple climatic tools, including a blended weather data set provided from GeoCLIM, Potential Evapotranspiration (PET), Water Requirements Satisfaction Index (WRSI) downscaled weather forecasts, and crop coefficients. The Weather Indexed Insurance Plus (WII+) project consisted of ex-ante risk management, weather index insurance (ex-post risk management), and agro-weather advisory. The project focused on critical crop survival periods, including sowing and establishment, vegetative growth, flowering, and yield formation. Weather data, water requirements satisfaction index, weather forecasts, and crop coefficients were used to inform agro-weather advisory messages. The messages were used for on-farm tactical decision-making, such as timing land operations, choice of seed varieties, water conservation measures, pesticide and fertilizer application, and climate-smart agriculture interventions. The Kinga Kilimo concept is currently under pilot in Embu and Machakos counties.