The role of asymmetric information in multi-peril picture-based crop insurance: Field experiments in India

Smallholder farmers in developing countries generally lack access to affordable agricultural insurance, in part because of high loss verification costs and asymmetric information in indemnity insurance and basis risk in index-based insurance. Advances in remote sensing and other digital technologies...

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Autores principales: Ceballos, Francisco, Kramer, Berber
Formato: Artículo preliminar
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143399
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author Ceballos, Francisco
Kramer, Berber
author_browse Ceballos, Francisco
Kramer, Berber
author_facet Ceballos, Francisco
Kramer, Berber
author_sort Ceballos, Francisco
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Smallholder farmers in developing countries generally lack access to affordable agricultural insurance, in part because of high loss verification costs and asymmetric information in indemnity insurance and basis risk in index-based insurance. Advances in remote sensing and other digital technologies can help overcome these challenges by allowing for low-cost, remote loss verification, and settling claims based on observed visible damage in a farmer’s fields. By effectively proxying for indemnity insurance, however, such a product may be subject to moral hazard and adverse selection. We test these hypotheses leveraging the rollout of picture-based crop insurance among smallholder farmers in northwestern India. We find no evidence of moral hazard or adverse selection, and that the use of technologies increases willingness to pay. We conclude that digital technologies are a valuable tool to provide low cost, sustainable crop insurance remotely, at lower levels of basis risk than index products.
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spelling CGSpace1433992025-12-02T21:02:41Z The role of asymmetric information in multi-peril picture-based crop insurance: Field experiments in India Ceballos, Francisco Kramer, Berber insurance asymmetric information field experimentation technology crops farmers agricultural insurance crop insurance smallholders mobile equipment imagery risk adverse selection Smallholder farmers in developing countries generally lack access to affordable agricultural insurance, in part because of high loss verification costs and asymmetric information in indemnity insurance and basis risk in index-based insurance. Advances in remote sensing and other digital technologies can help overcome these challenges by allowing for low-cost, remote loss verification, and settling claims based on observed visible damage in a farmer’s fields. By effectively proxying for indemnity insurance, however, such a product may be subject to moral hazard and adverse selection. We test these hypotheses leveraging the rollout of picture-based crop insurance among smallholder farmers in northwestern India. We find no evidence of moral hazard or adverse selection, and that the use of technologies increases willingness to pay. We conclude that digital technologies are a valuable tool to provide low cost, sustainable crop insurance remotely, at lower levels of basis risk than index products. 2021-12-31 2024-05-22T12:13:51Z 2024-05-22T12:13:51Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143399 en https://doi.org/10.1016/j.deveng.2019.100042 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2018.11.002 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/110712 https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.133524 https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.134751 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Ceballos, Francisco; and Kramer, Berber. 2021. The role of asymmetric information in multi-peril picture-based crop insurance: Field experiments in India. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2088. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.134941.
spellingShingle insurance
asymmetric information
field experimentation
technology
crops
farmers
agricultural insurance
crop insurance
smallholders
mobile equipment
imagery
risk
adverse selection
Ceballos, Francisco
Kramer, Berber
The role of asymmetric information in multi-peril picture-based crop insurance: Field experiments in India
title The role of asymmetric information in multi-peril picture-based crop insurance: Field experiments in India
title_full The role of asymmetric information in multi-peril picture-based crop insurance: Field experiments in India
title_fullStr The role of asymmetric information in multi-peril picture-based crop insurance: Field experiments in India
title_full_unstemmed The role of asymmetric information in multi-peril picture-based crop insurance: Field experiments in India
title_short The role of asymmetric information in multi-peril picture-based crop insurance: Field experiments in India
title_sort role of asymmetric information in multi peril picture based crop insurance field experiments in india
topic insurance
asymmetric information
field experimentation
technology
crops
farmers
agricultural insurance
crop insurance
smallholders
mobile equipment
imagery
risk
adverse selection
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143399
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