Publication: Improving Agriculture and Food Security Risk Financing in Southern Africa
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2020-06-23
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2020-07-13
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The objective of this report is to provide a review of and recommendations for improving the agriculture and food security risk financing framework in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Member States. This report presents the compilation of various analyses and activities realized in the context of a World Bank Group Advisory Services program to the SADC Region during 2019 and 2020, which included: (i) a stocktaking of the agroclimatic information systems of the region; (ii) the implementation of four innovation challenges to identify the most promising solutions to advance the risk finance agenda for food security and agriculture in the region; (iii) the implementation of one of the innovative solutions to one SADC Member State (the Democratic Republic of Congo); and (iv) the development of a regional risk financing policy note for agriculture and food security in SADC. The work was conducted by a multisectoral tea
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“World Bank. 2020. Improving Agriculture and Food Security Risk Financing in Southern Africa. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/34085 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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Publication Agriculture Risk Financing in Southern Africa(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-06-23)This policy note is provided as an output under the World Bank’s Regional Advisory Service for Southern Africa, ‘Developing a Regional Risk Financing Framework for Agriculture and Food Security’. A key objective of this advisory service is to inform the public sector in Southern Africa on improvements to agriculture and food security risk financing policies and programs. The note is an output under component two of the project, which aims to identify agriculture risk financing policy options. The note aims to take stock of selected key financial risks affecting the agriculture sector in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region and provide options to build financial resilience. Weather risks, price volatility, and pests and diseases are among the most important shocks affecting agricultural producers in the region, frequently with severe consequences for food security. This note gives (i) an overview of their regional impact in terms of economic and financial cost, as well as effects on food security; (ii) describes the status quo of use of agriculture risk financing instruments by countries in the region; and (iii) derives policy recommendations to further improve financial resilience to agricultural shocks using agriculture risk financing instruments. It should be noted that risk financing instruments are only one part of a comprehensive agriculture risk management approach. Other complementary agriculture risk management mechanisms and approaches, such as the development of commodity exchanges, agriculture trade policy, or warehouse receipt systems, are not the focus of this note.Publication Agriculture Risk Financing in Southern Africa(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-06-23)This policy note is provided as an output under the World Bank’s Regional Advisory Service for Southern Africa, ‘Developing a Regional Risk Financing Framework for Agriculture and Food Security’. A key objective of this advisory service is to inform the public sector in Southern Africa on improvements to agriculture and food security risk financing policies and programs. The note is an output under component two of the project, which aims to identify agriculture risk financing policy options. The note aims to take stock of selected key financial risks affecting the agriculture sector in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region and provide options to build financial resilience. Weather risks, price volatility, and pests and diseases are among the most important shocks affecting agricultural producers in the region, frequently with severe consequences for food security. This note gives (i) an overview of their regional impact in terms of economic and financial cost, as well as effects on food security; (ii) describes the status quo of use of agriculture risk financing instruments by countries in the region; and (iii) derives policy recommendations to further improve financial resilience to agricultural shocks using agriculture risk financing instruments. It should be noted that risk financing instruments are only one part of a comprehensive agriculture risk management approach. Other complementary agriculture risk management mechanisms and approaches, such as the development of commodity exchanges, agriculture trade policy, or warehouse receipt systems, are not the focus of this note.Publication Improving Agriculture and Food Security Risk Financing in Southern Africa(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-05-18)The objective of this report is to provide a review of and recommendations for improving the agriculture and food security risk financing framework in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Member States. This report presents the compilation of various analyses and activities realized in the context of a World Bank Group Advisory Services program to the SADC Region during 2019 and 2020, which included: (i) a stocktaking of the agroclimatic information systems of the region; (ii) the implementation of four innovation challenges to identify the most promising solutions to advance the risk finance agenda for food security and agriculture in the region; (iii) the implementation of one of the innovative solutions to one SADC Member State (the Democratic Republic of Congo); and (iv) the development of a regional risk financing policy note for agriculture and food security in SADC. The work was conducted by a multisectoral teaPublication Managing Drought Risk for Food Security in Africa : An Innovative Solution in Malawi(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2009-01)Malawi periodically experiences drought leading to shortages of grain on the domestic market and a sharp increase in consumer prices. Consumers, including many of the poorest farmers in the country, experience difficulty obtaining enough grain to meet their family requirements. One method to reduce the risks of grain shortfalls is to improve the capacity of farmers to produce enough grain even when drought occurs, for example, through input subsidies and efforts to improve water use efficiency. An additional measure is to finance the establishment and distribution of strategic grain stocks. However, in the occasional year when drought is most extreme, supplementary assistance will still be needed in the form of expensive food imports and, possibly, food aid.Publication Jamaica : Toward a Strategy for Financial Weather Risk Management in Agriculture(Washington, DC, 2009-11)This report forms part of the technical assistance provided by the World Bank under the Non-lending Technical Assistance Program for the Caribbean 'market-based agriculture risk management in the Caribbean.' 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