Research Reports The publications in this series cover a wide range of subjects—from computer modelling to experience with water user associations—and vary in content from directly applicable research to more basic studies, on which applied for work ultimately depends. Some research reports are narrowly focused, analytical and detailed empirical studies; others are wide-ranging and synthetic overviews of generic problems. Although most of the reports are published by IWMI staff and their collaborators, we welcome contributions from others. Each report is reviewed internally by IWMI staff, and by external reviewers. The reports are published and distributed both in hard copy and electronically (www.iwmi.org) and where possible all data and analyses will be available as separate downloadable files. Reports may be copied freely and cited with due acknowledgement

This study aims to assess the potential for the introduction of agricultural insurance services in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in the Philippines, with a view to fostering smallholders’ resilience against extreme natural events, such as floods, droughts and hurricanes, and promote their capacity to recover from such shocks. The study focuses on analysing and showcasing the opportunities and benefits associated with the introduction of tailored disaster risk insurance protection for small-scale farmers in BARMM; the core roadblocks and constraints that limit the diffusion of such services in the region’s agriculture sector; and options for the implementation of agri-insurance coverage based on different scenarios of collaboration involving public, private and non-profit stakeholders active in the region. The study was conceived as a general reference document and starting point for all types of stakeholders – government authorities, development agencies, financial institutions and non-governmental organizations – interested in designing and promoting agricultural insurance services for vulnerable actors in the Bangsamoro region.

River and coastal floods are among the nation's most costly natural disasters. One component in the nation's approach to managing flood risk is availability of flood insurance policies, which are offered on an individual basis primarily through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Established in 1968, the NFIP is overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and there are about 5.4 million individual policies in the NFIP. The program has experienced a mixture of successes and persistent challenges. Successes include a large number of policy holders, the insurance of approximately $1.3 trillion of property, and the fact that the large majority of policy holders - 80% - pay rates that are risk based. NFIP challenges include large program debt, relatively low rates of purchase in many flood-prone areas, a host of issues regarding affordability of premiums, ensuring that premiums collected cover payouts and administrative fees, and a large number of properties that experience severe repetitive flood losses. At the request of FEMA, A Community-Based Flood Insurance Option identifies a range of key issues and questions that would merit consideration and further analysis as part of a community-based flood insurance program. As the report describes, the community-based option certainly offers potential benefits, such as the prospect of providing coverage for all (or nearly all) at-risk residents and properties in flood-prone communities. At the same time, many current challenges facing the NFIP may not necessarily be resolved by a community-based approach. This report discusses these and other prominent issues to be considered and further assessed.

This brief identifies and addresses key issues facing weather-index-based agricultural insurance. Drawing on diverse experiences from Africa and Central America, it zooms in on key challenges such as affordability, quality of weather data and models, raising awareness and trust in the benefits of insurance products and policy and regulatory frameworks. To have real impact, scale is the first requirement. Scaling strategies require reliable products, access to the rural areas, increased awareness about insurance and cost-effective delivery channels.