Livestock Insurance Research Articles

Livestock Entrepreneurs’ Willingness to Pay (WTP) for Livestock Insurance: The Role of Capital and Financial Burden of Lumpy Skin Disease

In Punjab, Pakistan, livestock business owners are at high risk of losing their primary source of income due to the continually emerging lumpy skin disease. The sustainability of such financial risks can be managed through insurance; thus, this study explores the willingness of the 454 livestock entrepreneurs to pay for livestock insurance. Using an independent samples t-test, the study confirms that willingness to pay has a positive relationship with the size of owned farmland, total herd size, and annual income from crops, which are statistically significant at 1%. However, conventional attributes such as age, education, and off-farm income have no significant effect on willingness to pay at a 10% significance level. From the results of this study, insurance policies should be designed to facilitate the participation of entrepreneurs with larger farms and herds and higher crop income in livestock insurance programs.: This could positively affect the finances and the region's future of livestock business people.

Willingness to Pay for Cattle Insurance in Nepal: A Double-Hurdle Model Perspective

Since the adoption of the Crop and Livestock Insurance Directives in 2013, the adoption of livestock insurance has gained popularity in Nepal. In the eight years since implementation, adoption rates have remained low, even with 80% government premium subsidies. This study uses a double-hurdle model for quantitative analysis and focuses on the determinants of willingness to pay (WTP) for cattle insurance. The research identifies significant factors influencing insurance adoption decision, including positive impacts from farmer’s age, education, livestock loss history, awareness of insurance, dairy farm income, number of cattle, and loan access. However, male gender, extensive cattle rearing experience, and larger households negatively affect willingness to insure. A number of factors affect premium determination, including age, size of household, livestock loss, off-farm income, number of cattle, and loan accessibility; on the other hand, factors that have a negative impact on premium levels include breed type, marital status, and revenue from dairy farms. According to the findings, the annual WTP for cattle insurance among dairy farmers varies from $48 to $71 (NRs. 6315-9341), with an average of $58 (NRs. 7631). Interestingly, the majority of farmers demonstrate their commitment to risk management by accepting premiums equal to 5% of the value of the cattle. The research contributes to understanding livestock insurance premiums in developing countries, specifically in Nepal, and suggests a scope for extending insurance programs, while also noting a gap in awareness among dairy farmers regarding government subsidy programs.

Determinants of Livestock Insurance Adoption by Dairy Cattle Farmers of Nawalpur District, Nepal

Livestock farming faces inherent vulnerabilities, such as disease outbreaks and natural disasters. The utilization of livestock insurance can play a crucial role in alleviating risks and uncertainties associated with farming practices, ultimately fostering security for farmers. The research was carried out purposively in Nawalpur district during 2022 to identify the factors affecting adoption of livestock insurance among dairy cattle farmers. One hundred and twenty dairy cattle farmers were selected randomly from the study area. Primary data were collected using pretested semi-structured interview schedule, Focus Group Discussion and Key Informant Interview. Descriptive statistics and probit model were used to interpret the findings. Findings from the research revealed that age, membership in farmer’s organization, contact with extension worker and rearing of improved breed were statistically significant in the adoption of livestock insurance. Extension agencies of government, non-governmental institution and insurance companies should primarily focus on farmers who are old aged, rear improved breed, participate in farmer’s organization and have regular contact with extension worker for better adoption.

A latent class analysis of biosecurity attitudes and decision-making strategies of swine producers in the United States

The 2018 African swine fever (ASF) outbreak highlighted the importance of biosecurity in food production systems. Despite the significant economic impacts, the sociopsychological consequences on decision-making have been overlooked. Previous studies have focused on algebraic models and simulation-based models without considering the complex psychological and social factors that influence farmers' biosecurity behaviors and decision-making processes. This study aims to classify livestock producers into distinct subgroups based on their attitudes towards biosecurity. We conducted a survey presenting producers with three scenarios to assess their willingness to report suspected ASF cases, trust in government agencies, risk perception, biosecurity knowledge, willingness to purchase livestock insurance, motivation to invest in biosecurity, readiness to report suspected infections, and intention to contact a veterinarian. Using latent class analysis, we identified three distinct classes: Biosecurity Sceptics, Biosecurity Compliant, and Biosecurity Ultra-Compliant. Our results show that producer characteristics significantly influence biosecurity attitudes and class membership, with small-scale producers less likely to adopt ultra-compliant biosecurity practices. Attending at least one eradication program encouraged biosecurity compliance. This research informs the design of targeted food policy and risk communication strategies that account for attitudes of livestock producers to encourage biosecurity adoption and reduce the likelihood of Tier 1 disease incursion.

Climate risk adaptation through livestock insurance: evidence from a pilot programme in Nigeria

ABSTRACT This study investigates the option of choosing index-based livestock insurance (IBLI) to mitigate the adverse effects associated with climate change in Kwara State, Nigeria. Previous studies indicate that the failure to include farmers during the early stage of pilot programme design is a major factor in Africa’s poor participation rate in index insurance. We conducted a survey with 392 farming households across eight of the state's 16 Local Government Areas (LGAs). This survey employed a contingent valuation method (CVM) to assess the value respondents are willing to pay for such insurance and add to the growing literature on IBLI uptake. We discuss important issues ranging from the cost of the IBLI premium to the impact of social capital and access to alternative sources of income on adoption. Our findings show that farmers are willing to pay a 1.3% premium for IBLI, which is lower than the current premium charged for traditional agricultural insurance in Nigeria which typically ranges from 2% to 5%. The results also highlight the need to consider insurance uptake and access to credit as complementary measures, rather than substitute strategies for managing the risks posed by severe climate shocks and extremes.

Agricultural Scenario of Nepal: Growth Performance and Swot Analysis

This study aimed to determine the performance of agriculture sector in Nepal which would help in formulating better policies for its improvement. The study estimated the growth and instability for the period 2001-02 to 2020-21, dividing it into two periods, period-I (2001-02 to 2010-11) and period-II (2011-12 to 2020-21). The growth and instability analysis indicated that the growth of production of almost all crops were increased during period-II. Oilseeds showed the highest increase in production with growth rate of 6.26%, whereas millet and coffee showed decreasing rate of production in period-II. The area under wheat and millet decreased drastically in period-II. Although instability in area increased in period-II for almost all the crops, tea experienced highest increase. Instability in coffee production decreased from 41.85% in period-I to 15.92% in period-II, highest among selected crops. The instabilities in production were due to natural calamities, lesser and untimely availability of inputs, less priority in the research sector for minor crops and so on. Livestock subsector has been performing well as compared to the crop sector. Prioritization by the government and wide climatic conditions are the major strengths of the sector whereas unavailability of inputs in time and lack of investment frameworks are the weaknesses. Farm mechanization, topography and agri-tourism are some opportunities and climate change, fragmentation of arable land, brain-drain are the threats to this sector in Nepal. The major focus of the government should be on utilizing the rural labor force on agriculture sector through different schemes such as effective crop and livestock insurance, timely supply of demanded inputs and proper extension services.

LIVESTOCK FARMERS RISK PERCEPTION AND WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR LIVESTOCK INSURANCE IN FLOOD-PRONE AREAS OF PUNJAB

Pakistan is the world’s most susceptible country to extreme climatic events, such as floods. As such, for many years, the country has faced the risk of losses from natural calamities without crop insurance. However, in recent years, the national government has undertaken crop insurance initiatives in Pakistan. Consequently, there is limited knowledge available on the adoption of crop insurance in Pakistan. To fill this gap, this study aims to examine the factors influencing the willingness to pay for livestock insurance in flood prone areas of Punjab. Primary data were collected from 204 farm households through a structured interview in flood-prone areas of Punjab. Data was analyzed with descriptive statistics and logistics models. The explanatory analysis was used to further look at the socio-economic characteristics of livestock farmers through MS Excel and binary logistics models to test the willingness to pay livestock farmers for insurance. The results show a positive relationship between the perceived risk of Farmers and the willingness to pay for insurance programs. The findings of this study show that the probability of farmers' WTP is increased due to a better understanding of financial institutions and having more technical knowledge. The study results show that farmers with adult males are more likely to pay livestock insurance.

The Impact of Herders’ Risk Attitudes on Livestock Insurance: Evidence from the Pastoral Areas of Tibetan Plateau

In the context of advancing the transformation and upgrading of grassland animal husbandry, encouraging and guiding the widespread adoption of livestock insurance plays an important role in promoting the sustainable development of the livestock industry. This paper explores the impact of herders’ attitudes and perceptions towards climate change risks on their livestock insurance strategies. Firstly, experimental economics methods are employed to measure the risk preferences of herders on the Tibetan Plateau. Secondly, a theoretical model incorporating risk preferences and insurance adoption behavior is constructed. Finally, the effects of herders’ risk preferences on insurance adoption behavior are empirically examined through double-hurdle models, instrumental variable models, and moderating effect models. The results reveal that (1) most herders on the Tibetan Plateau exhibit risk-averse characteristics. (2) The degree of risk preference has a significant negative impact on herders’ insurance adoption behavior, while the risk perception significantly positively influences insurance adoption. The results remain valid even after addressing issues of endogeneity and conducting robustness checks. (3) Livestock income plays a crucial moderating role in the mechanism through which risk attitudes affect insurance adoption behavior. (4) The impact of risk preference on insurance adoption behavior shows regional and income heterogeneity.

Leveraging browse and grazing forage estimates to optimize index-based livestock insurance

African pastoralists suffer recurrent droughts that cause high livestock mortality and vulnerability to climate change. The index-based livestock insurance (IBLI) program offers protection against drought impacts. However, the current IBLI design relying on the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) may pose limitation because it does not consider the mixed composition of rangelands (including herbaceous and woody plants) and the diverse feeding habits of grazers and browsers. To enhance IBLI, we assessed the efficacy of utilizing distinct browse and grazing forage estimates from woody LAI (LAIW) and herbaceous LAI (LAIH), respectively, derived from aggregate leaf area index (LAIA), as an alternative to NDVI for refined IBLI design. Using historical livestock mortality data from northern Kenya as reference ground dataset, our analysis compared two competing models for (1) aggregate forage estimates including sub-models for NDVI, LAI (LAIA); and (2) partitioned biomass model (LAIP) comprising LAIH and LAIW. By integrating forage estimates with ancillary environmental variables, we found that LAIP, with separate forage estimates, outperformed the aggregate models. For total livestock mortality, LAIP yielded the lowest RMSE (5.9 TLUs) and higher R2 (0.83), surpassing NDVI and LAIA models RMSE (9.3 TLUs) and R2 (0.6). A similar pattern was observed for species-specific livestock mortality. The influence of environmental variables across the models varied, depending on level of mortality aggregation or separation. Overall, forage availability was consistently the most influential variable, with species-specific models showing the different forage preferences in various animal types. These results suggest that deriving distinct browse and grazing forage estimates from LAIP has the potential to reduce basis risk by enhancing IBLI index accuracy.

DAIRY FARMERS' VIEWS ON OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO ADOPTING CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION STRATEGIES

This study investigates the challenges inhibiting dairy farmers in South Gujarat from adopting climate change adaptation strategies and presents their perspectives on overcoming these constraints. Data were collected from 280 dairy farmers who were selected through multistage random sampling method in seven districts of South Gujarat. Survey findings revealed predominant issues: Communication participation, social engagement, and key farm-related factors significantly correlated with dairy farmers' adaptation strategies, while certain demographic and economic factors showed significant relationships at different probability levels. Non-significant correlations were found for age, gender, education, and other variables, suggesting nuanced influences that may require further exploration.86.77% cited inadequate technical guidance for livestock practices as the primary barrier, followed by 75.00% experiencing the unavailability of critical adaptation inputs. Financial constraints (67.85%) and limited access to timely weather forecasts (63.57%) were also significant hurdles. Reasons for non-adoption varied with 79.28% attributing it to insufficient resources and 72.50% believing climate change was exaggerated. Conversely, 51.78% sought innovative dairy farming to engage rural youth. The suggestions provided by farmers highlighted urgent needs: establishing low-cost weather forecasting systems (87.85%) and regular technical guidance visits (82.14%). Financial aid (72.50%) and awareness about livestock insurance schemes (60.71%) were stressed, alongside training in climate mitigation practices (59.28%).These findings underscore the multifaceted challenges faced by dairy farmers and offer a clear direction for policymakers and stakeholders. Implementing the suggested solutions could empower the farming community in adopting resilient climate adaptation strategies in South Gujarat reason.

Impact of Livestock Insurance Schemes on Smallholder Farmers’ Resilience to Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa

Purpose: This study sought to investigate the impact of livestock insurance schemes on smallholder farmers’ resilience to climate change in Saharan Africa. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to the impact of livestock insurance schemes on smallholder farmers’ resilience to climate change in Saharan Africa. Preliminary empirical review revealed that livestock insurance schemes significantly enhanced the resilience of smallholder farmers to climate change in Sub-Saharan Africa by providing financial protection against climate-induced livestock losses, maintaining livestock assets, and stabilizing household incomes during climatic shocks. However, barriers such as high premium costs, limited awareness, and distrust in insurance providers hindered widespread adoption. Recommendations included premium subsidies, extensive education programs, and improved transparency to increase uptake. Integrating insurance with broader risk management strategies was also emphasized to maximize resilience benefits. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) and Resource Dependence Theory (RDT) may be used to anchor future studies on livestock insurance schemes on smallholder farmers’ resilience to climate change. The study recommended integrating socio-economic factors into theoretical frameworks, enhancing practical training and capacity-building for farmers, and creating supportive regulatory policies to improve the adoption of livestock insurance schemes. It emphasized the importance of integrating insurance with broader risk management strategies, leveraging technological innovations to enhance accessibility, and conducting continuous monitoring and evaluation to ensure the schemes' effectiveness. These recommendations aimed to enhance smallholder farmers' resilience to climate change, maximize the benefits of livestock insurance, and ensure sustainable agricultural development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Keywords: Livestock Insurance Schemes, Smallholder Farmers, Resilience, Climate Change, Sub-Saharan Africa, Index-Based Livestock Insurance (IBLI)

Role of Livestock Insurance in Mitigating Financial Impact of Epidemic Outbreaks on Cattle Farms in India

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the role of livestock insurance in mitigating financial impact of epidemic outbreaks on cattle farms in India. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: Livestock insurance plays a crucial role in mitigating the financial impact of epidemic outbreaks on cattle farms. Studies consistently show that cattle farms with livestock insurance experience lower financial losses post-epidemic compared to those without insurance, as they are able to recoup a portion of their losses through insurance claims. Moreover, insured cattle farms exhibit a higher recovery rate, enabling them to rebuild their herds more quickly and resume normal operations. Comprehensive livestock insurance policies that address various risk factors, including disease outbreaks and market price fluctuations, are particularly effective in stabilizing farm incomes and enhancing financial resilience. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Risk management theory, theory of planned behavior (TPB) & prospect theory may be used to anchor future studies on analyze the role of livestock insurance in mitigating financial impact of epidemic outbreaks on cattle farms. Subsidizing premiums can change the economic calculus for farmers, making the decision to invest in insurance more attractive and financially feasible. Encouraging regional risk pools would necessitate legislative support and possibly inter-state agreements to facilitate broader risk management strategies.

Farmer‐friendly delivery of veterinary services: Experimental insights from the Kenyan dairy sector

AbstractPoor health conditions of livestock cause sizeable losses for many farmers in the Global South. Veterinary services, including vaccinations, could help but often fail to reach farmers under typical smallholder conditions. Here, we examine how the provision of a vaccine against East Coast Fever (ECF)—a tick‐borne disease affecting cattle in Africa—can be designed to reduce typical adoption barriers. Using data from a choice experiment with dairy farmers in Kenya, we evaluate farmers' preferences and willingness to pay for various institutional innovations in vaccine delivery, such as a stronger role of dairy cooperatives, new payment modalities with a check‐off system, vaccination at farmers' homestead, and bundling vaccinations with discounts for livestock insurance. Our data reveal that farmers' awareness of the ECF vaccine is limited and adoption rates are low, largely due to institutional constraints. Results from mixed logit and latent class models suggest that suitable institutional innovations—tailored to farmers' heterogeneous conditions—could significantly increase adoption. This general finding likely also holds for other veterinary technologies and services in the Global South.

The role of heterogenous implementation on the uptake and long-term diffusion of agricultural insurance in a pastoral context

To make a difference in lower-income countries, agricultural innovations must be adopted and ultimately diffused across diverse local environments. This study contributes to the ongoing debate about the factors limiting the spread of agricultural innovations by considering the role of heterogenous supply in determining observed demand for the Index-Based Livestock Insurance (IBLI) product, which is a commercial insurance product serving historically uninsured pastoralists in the Horn of Africa. Analysis of sales data from 2010 to 2020 in Ethiopia and Kenya shows that local conditions can reduce the likelihood of supply channels reaching prospective clients, effectively excluding them from accessing insurance, while other factors can work towards increasing supply of insurance while also decreasing demand for it. Surveys collected from insurance sales agents reveals considerable heterogeneity in their ability to and effort in suppling IBLI. Discussions with IBLI’s providers confirms the role of supply constraints in observed demand; the firms consistently point towards the cost of last-mile extension and sales as their largest challenge to increasing sales, and emphasize that it is cost-prohibitive to provide equal access to well-trained insurance agents across the areas that they operate. These findings suggest that current investments aimed at increasing insurance coverage by increasing demand, for example through improved product design or by subsidizing premiums, should be accompanied by investments in developing more cost-effective marketing and distribution processes so that demand can be acted upon. On a broader level, the results highlight a need to consider non-random and incomplete supply as a factor when examining observed uptake of agricultural innovations.

Index Insurance for Forage, Pasture, and Rangeland: A Review of Developed (USA and Canada) and Developing (Kenya and Ethiopia) Countries

Index insurance for forage, pasture, and rangeland has gained ground in policy and academic circles. Stakeholders promote it as an innovative risk management tool for enhancing resilience to drought-induced perils and providing a way for consumption smoothing to livestock producers in drought vulnerable ecosystems. Index insurance, which avoids market failures such as moral hazard, adverse selection, and transactional cost, has been piloted and implemented all over the world. To support future development and research on index-based insurance in livestock systems, operational index insurance for forage, pasture, and rangeland systems in developed (USA and Canada) and developing (Kenya and Ethiopia) countries are reviewed and compared. This paper finds some similar characteristics (huge subsidy payments—ranging from 50 to 100 percent, significant government role, low adoption, insufficient payouts, data challenges, etc.), of this product between the two regions. A major difference between the PRF and NDVI is the number of choices available to users of rainfall index insurance who face close to 3000 choice options, while NDVI users have less than 5 choice options available for them. Based on these insights, we highlight opportunities where the two regions can benchmark and improve upon their respective index insurance schemes—index-based livestock insurance (IBLI) in developing and rainfall index insurance for forage in developed regions.

Social Innovations for Empowering Pastoralist Women: Evidence from Dasenech, South Omo, Ethiopia

Innovations are vital for empowering women and youth by introducing alternative pathways for development. This study focuses on a social innovation project executed in Dasenech, South Omo, Ethiopia. The project introduced innovative initiatives (index-based livestock insurance (IBLI), a goat market value-chain system, an eco-friendly hydraulic ram pump, fodder production, and a vet drug store). Key among the goals of these initiatives was the empowerment of pastoralist women by promoting the livelihood base of the Dasenech Pastoralist Community. The present study assessed the contributions of these innovations to the empowerment of women and youth. We employed a mixed-method research approach to pool both quantitative and qualitative data using a household survey through Kobocollect, FGDs, KIIs, and case stories. We computed empowerment by employing a 5DE model with five domains, i.e., production, resources, income, leadership, and time use. The findings suggest that 93% of the project participants were empowered, recording “adequate achievements” in line with the 5DE model, i.e., with scores of at least 80% in four of the five requirements. Technological innovations that properly assess the context of the intervention area and, most importantly, that use proper avenues of implementation with women and youth as owners and leaders, have the capacity to empower such individuals in the economic, social, and political spheres.

Biosecurity indemnification and attitudes of United States swine producers towards the prevention of an african swine fever outbreak

Animal disease outbreaks, such as the recent outbreak of African Swine Fever in 2018, are a major concern for stakeholders across the food supply chain due to their potential to disrupt global food security, cause economic losses, and threaten animal welfare. As a result of their transboundary nature, discussions have shifted to preventive measures aimed at protecting livestock while ensuring food security and safety. Emergency assistance has been a critical response option during pandemics. However, this may not be sustainable in the long run because the expectation of government bailout may encourage risk taking behaviours. Our hypothesis is that an indemnity policy that is conditioned on showing biosecurity practices would increase compliance and reduce government expenditure during disease outbreaks. We developed and launched a survey from March to July 2022 targeted at swine producers across the US. From the survey, we examined livestock farmers' attitudes and intentions regarding biosecurity investment and assessed their attitudes towards the purchase of livestock insurance and reporting suspected infected livestock on their farm. We used a partial proportion odds model analysis to examine the model. Our analysis revealed that intention to call a veterinarian, trust in government agencies and risk perception of farmers were instrumental in the willingness to self-invest in biosecurity, purchase livestock insurance, and promptly report infected livestock on their farms. This provides evidence that biosecurity compliance would increase if indemnification was tied to a demonstration of effort to adopt biosecurity practices. We also show that individuals who have been in the industry for a longer period may become complacent and less likely to report outbreaks. Farmers with a higher share of income from their production operations bear a greater risk from their operational income and are more willing to report any suspected infections on their farms. The data suggest that motivating the willingness of farmers to invest in biosecurity while overcoming cost concerns is achievable.

Dairy Farmers’ Perceptions and Adaptation Strategies Towards The Effects of Climate Change in Southern Marmara Region of Turkey

Aims: The study aims to determine dairy farmers' perceptions of climate-related risks, their adaptation strategies and factors affecting their decisions about adaptation strategies in Southern Marmara Region of Turkey. Material and methods: Data was collected from 379 dairy farmers by proportional sampling method. The survey was performed between October and December 2023. Descriptive statistics and probit model were used in the evaluation of the data. Results: Most dairy farmers (70.7%) had a high perception for heavy storms. Changing feed ration seasonally was the most widespread adaptation strategy employed by dairy farmers. It was followed by diversification of animal production activities, livestock insurance and diverseness of feed crops. Among these adaptation strategies, changing feed ration seasonally was the highest choosen adaptation strategy in the study area whereas the diverseness of feed crops was the least choosen adaptation strategy. The probit model results showed that the dairy farmers' age and household size had an adverse the impact on their decisions about all adaptation strategies. Discussion: These results of this study stated that most dairy farmers perceived the rise in temperatures and decline in rainfall as noticeable changes in climate. Few dairy farmers used advanced agricultural applications for dealing with the negative impacts of climatic change, and many dairy farmers continued use to simple adaptation measures. Conclusions:As a result, the present study findings can shed light to policy/decision makers in agricultural research, to practices regarding the climate change impact in dairy farming, and to further studies in the literature.

Understanding Constraints and Enablers of Climate Risk Management Strategies: Evidence from Smallholder Dairy Farmers in Regional South India

The adoption of effective coping strategies is crucial for successful adaptation to the impacts of climate change in the dairy sector. However, little attention has been paid to understanding the perceived constraints and motivations toward such strategies. A survey was conducted among 104 dairy farmers from three semi-arid regions of South India. The aim of the survey was to explore the dairy farmers’ perception of climate risk, how it impacts their dairy farming system, the coping strategies they employ, and the barriers they face when implementing these strategies. The survey also investigated the factors that facilitate the adoption of adaptation measures. The results indicate dairy farmers in the region perceive drought, pests and diseases, and high temperatures as the major risks associated with climate change, which has resulted in decreased dairy income, animal health problems, reduced fertility, and food intake problems for their cattle. In response to climate variability, dairy farmers have adopted various coping strategies. The most important strategies include buying livestock insurance, keeping low debt obligations, and growing drought-tolerant grass varieties. However, most farmers face significant constraints in adopting these and other strategies including a lack of climate forecast data, the high cost of adaptation activities, and weak institutional support. On the other hand, the key enabling factors that support the adoption of these strategies include milk production security, suitable feed growing conditions, and family interest. Most importantly, the study found that certain factors such as age, education, number of earning family members, annual milk production, monthly cattle expenses, and landholdings significantly influenced dairy farmers’ strategies for adapting to climate change. The study recommends that providing timely climate forecasts, implementing improved policies such as vaccination and cattle health services, and establishing strong institutional support systems can help dairy farmers become more resilient to climate change and protect their livelihoods.

Livestock Risks and Indemnity Insurance in the West Region, Cameroon

Several risks threaten poultry and pig farming in the West Region of Cameroon. Notwithstanding, the absence of insurance has limited farmers’ risk management options and prevented them from bouncing back rapidly from significant losses. This research explores poultry and pig farming risks and the implications for farming insurance schemes in the West Region of Cameroon. To achieve this, 430 poultry and pig farmers were sampled through a cluster and snowball sampling technique in the Mifi, Bamboutos, Upper-Plateau and Koung-Khi Divisions. The risks farmers faced were assessed as low, medium and high, depending on their likelihood of occurrence and potential impact. Farmers' experiences of livestock losses supported this information. Data on the risks farmers would like to get insurance for was analysed using descriptive statistics. Research results revealed that 75% of risks faced by poultry farmers are ranked low, while 25% are medium. For pig farmers, 64% of risks are low, 27% are medium, and 9 % are high. Diseases (epidemic and non-epidemic) and market/price risks are among the top three risks pig and poultry farmers face. Many farmers are willing to get insurance for epidemic diseases (31.5%) and non-epidemic diseases (26.6%). Most farmers in the Bamboutous Division are more willing to get insurance for non-epidemic diseases (54.5%) and epidemic diseases (32.8%). Comparatively, farmers in the Mifi Division are more willing to get insurance for epidemic diseases (46.7%) and less for non-epidemic diseases (1.5%). Insurance companies can start piloting a disease and market/price fall insurance scheme in the Mifi and Bamboutos Divisions. These companies can create awareness of the importance of livestock insurance through the Interprofessional Association of Pig Farmers and the Interprofessional Association for Poultry Farmers in the West Region.