The feasibility of Picture-Based insurance (PBI): Smartphone pictures for affordable crop insurance

Smallholder farmers are increasingly exposed to weather extremes but lack access to affordable insurance products to protect their livelihoods from catastrophic crop damage. This paper analyzes the feasibility of Picture-Based Insurance (PBI) as a tool to improve the quality and affordability of cro...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ceballos, Francisco, Kramer, Berber, Robles, Miguel
Format: Artículo preliminar
Language:Inglés
Published: International Food Policy Research Institute 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/145897
_version_ 1855541162156228608
author Ceballos, Francisco
Kramer, Berber
Robles, Miguel
author_browse Ceballos, Francisco
Kramer, Berber
Robles, Miguel
author_facet Ceballos, Francisco
Kramer, Berber
Robles, Miguel
author_sort Ceballos, Francisco
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Smallholder farmers are increasingly exposed to weather extremes but lack access to affordable insurance products to protect their livelihoods from catastrophic crop damage. This paper analyzes the feasibility of Picture-Based Insurance (PBI) as a tool to improve the quality and affordability of crop insurance. Under PBI, insurance claims are verified using a time-lapse of pictures from insured plots, both pre- and post-damage, taken by farmers themselves using regular smartphone cameras. PBI aims at minimizing asymmetric information and costs of claims verification compared to indemnity insurance, while reducing basis risk and improving trust, tangibility, and understanding compared to index-based insurance. A pilot implementation in the rice-wheat belt of India speaks to PBI being a feasible and valuable complement to existing insurance products. Damage is visible from smartphone pictures, farmers can take pictures of sufficient quality for loss assessment, and PBI helps reduce severe downside basis risk at minimal cost.
format Artículo preliminar
id CGSpace145897
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2019
publishDateRange 2019
publishDateSort 2019
publisher International Food Policy Research Institute
publisherStr International Food Policy Research Institute
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1458972025-11-06T07:23:55Z The feasibility of Picture-Based insurance (PBI): Smartphone pictures for affordable crop insurance Ceballos, Francisco Kramer, Berber Robles, Miguel insurance mobile phones technology capacity development smallholders crop insurance information and communication technologies risk finance photography Smallholder farmers are increasingly exposed to weather extremes but lack access to affordable insurance products to protect their livelihoods from catastrophic crop damage. This paper analyzes the feasibility of Picture-Based Insurance (PBI) as a tool to improve the quality and affordability of crop insurance. Under PBI, insurance claims are verified using a time-lapse of pictures from insured plots, both pre- and post-damage, taken by farmers themselves using regular smartphone cameras. PBI aims at minimizing asymmetric information and costs of claims verification compared to indemnity insurance, while reducing basis risk and improving trust, tangibility, and understanding compared to index-based insurance. A pilot implementation in the rice-wheat belt of India speaks to PBI being a feasible and valuable complement to existing insurance products. Damage is visible from smartphone pictures, farmers can take pictures of sufficient quality for loss assessment, and PBI helps reduce severe downside basis risk at minimal cost. 2019-01-01 2024-06-21T09:05:18Z 2024-06-21T09:05:18Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/145897 en https://hdl.handle.net/10568/148110 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/148111 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/145739 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2018.11.002 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.deveng.2019.100042 https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-9552.12403 https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.275926 https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.134239 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Ceballos, Francisco; Kramer, Berber; and Robles, Miguel. 2018. The feasibility of Picture-Based insurance (PBI): Smartphone pictures for affordable crop insurance. IFPRI Discussion Paper 1788. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://hdl.handle.net/10568/145897
spellingShingle insurance
mobile phones
technology
capacity development
smallholders
crop insurance
information and communication technologies
risk
finance
photography
Ceballos, Francisco
Kramer, Berber
Robles, Miguel
The feasibility of Picture-Based insurance (PBI): Smartphone pictures for affordable crop insurance
title The feasibility of Picture-Based insurance (PBI): Smartphone pictures for affordable crop insurance
title_full The feasibility of Picture-Based insurance (PBI): Smartphone pictures for affordable crop insurance
title_fullStr The feasibility of Picture-Based insurance (PBI): Smartphone pictures for affordable crop insurance
title_full_unstemmed The feasibility of Picture-Based insurance (PBI): Smartphone pictures for affordable crop insurance
title_short The feasibility of Picture-Based insurance (PBI): Smartphone pictures for affordable crop insurance
title_sort feasibility of picture based insurance pbi smartphone pictures for affordable crop insurance
topic insurance
mobile phones
technology
capacity development
smallholders
crop insurance
information and communication technologies
risk
finance
photography
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/145897
work_keys_str_mv AT ceballosfrancisco thefeasibilityofpicturebasedinsurancepbismartphonepicturesforaffordablecropinsurance
AT kramerberber thefeasibilityofpicturebasedinsurancepbismartphonepicturesforaffordablecropinsurance
AT roblesmiguel thefeasibilityofpicturebasedinsurancepbismartphonepicturesforaffordablecropinsurance
AT ceballosfrancisco feasibilityofpicturebasedinsurancepbismartphonepicturesforaffordablecropinsurance
AT kramerberber feasibilityofpicturebasedinsurancepbismartphonepicturesforaffordablecropinsurance
AT roblesmiguel feasibilityofpicturebasedinsurancepbismartphonepicturesforaffordablecropinsurance