Crop insurance for climate resilience: Priorities for South Africa’s G20 Presidency

This policy brief argues that South Africa’s G20 Presidency offers a pivotal opportunity to elevate crop insurance as a core instrument for strengthening climate resilience across Africa. As droughts, floods and weather variability intensify, climate risks increasingly threaten smallholder farmers w...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Kramer, Berber, Hill, Ruth Vargas
Formato: Brief
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: South African Institute of International Affairs 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176400
Descripción
Sumario:This policy brief argues that South Africa’s G20 Presidency offers a pivotal opportunity to elevate crop insurance as a core instrument for strengthening climate resilience across Africa. As droughts, floods and weather variability intensify, climate risks increasingly threaten smallholder farmers who rely on rain-fed production, undermining livelihoods and regional food security. The brief highlights crop insurance as a practical risk-transfer mechanism that can safeguard incomes, stabilise food supply, and protect vulnerable households from climate-related shocks. It outlines how crop insurance aligns closely with key G20 working groups—Environment & Climate Sustainability, Disaster Risk Reduction, and Agriculture—each emphasizing adaptation, inclusive risk-sharing and resilient food systems. To realise this potential, the brief calls for investment-enabling policies, innovative financing suited to smallholders, and stronger integration of insurance within climate-risk management strategies, positioning crop insurance as a scalable and actionable priority for South Africa’s G20 agenda.