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Assessing the role of weather index insurance in climate change adaptation in Malawi
Climate change is one of the most challenging problems of the 21st century. Its effects have already been experienced in the different parts of the world. Farmers face particularly high risks considering that their occupation is climate dependent. Therefore farmers have been implementing different a...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | Eng |
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Department of Environmental and Geographical Science
2016
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| _version_ | 1867613773407191040 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Nthakomwa, Asimenye |
| author2 | Crespo,Olivier |
| author_browse | Crespo,Olivier Nthakomwa, Asimenye |
| author_facet | Crespo,Olivier Nthakomwa, Asimenye |
| author_sort | Nthakomwa, Asimenye |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Climate change is one of the most challenging problems of the 21st century. Its effects have already been experienced in the different parts of the world. Farmers face particularly high risks considering that their occupation is climate dependent. Therefore farmers have been implementing different adaptation activities in an effort to reduce the impacts of climate change on their livelihoods. Weather index insurance (WII) has been recommended as one potential climate change adaptation strategy. In Malawi WII was introduced and piloted in 2005 to help farmers get access to loans. In this study the implementation of WII in Malawi is assessed to examine whether it has any role to play in climate change adaptation. Focus group discussions involving 15 farmers, and individual interviews involving two state and five non-state actors who were involved in implementing WII, were conducted. Perceptions and understandings of weather index insurance as a climate change adaptation strategy were examined, and the roles of state and non-state actors were established. The potential for weather index insurance as a means for securing finance for investment into climate resilient crops was also investigated. The study reveals that the design of WII affects how farmers perceive and understand it. In general, farmers see WII as a means for securing loans and not a potential climate change adaptation tool. The study also found that most implementing organisations did not take up the role of promoting awareness about WII and this may have affected the uptake of WII by farmers and organisations that are implementing climate change adaptation projects. The study finds that farmers do not get cash payments when there is a loss event and farmers are not able to choose how the payout must be used. Furthermore, most of the study participants did not have knowledge about climate finance despite its increasing attention at the international level. This study can inform the design of WII so that it can be better implemented as a climate change adaptation tool in Malawi. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/19991 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | Eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:41:28.665Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publishDateRange | 2016 |
| publishDateSort | 2016 |
| publisher | Department of Environmental and Geographical Science |
| publisherStr | Department of Environmental and Geographical Science |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/19991 Assessing the role of weather index insurance in climate change adaptation in Malawi Nthakomwa, Asimenye Crespo,Olivier Daron, Joseph Climate Change and Development Climate change is one of the most challenging problems of the 21st century. Its effects have already been experienced in the different parts of the world. Farmers face particularly high risks considering that their occupation is climate dependent. Therefore farmers have been implementing different adaptation activities in an effort to reduce the impacts of climate change on their livelihoods. Weather index insurance (WII) has been recommended as one potential climate change adaptation strategy. In Malawi WII was introduced and piloted in 2005 to help farmers get access to loans. In this study the implementation of WII in Malawi is assessed to examine whether it has any role to play in climate change adaptation. Focus group discussions involving 15 farmers, and individual interviews involving two state and five non-state actors who were involved in implementing WII, were conducted. Perceptions and understandings of weather index insurance as a climate change adaptation strategy were examined, and the roles of state and non-state actors were established. The potential for weather index insurance as a means for securing finance for investment into climate resilient crops was also investigated. The study reveals that the design of WII affects how farmers perceive and understand it. In general, farmers see WII as a means for securing loans and not a potential climate change adaptation tool. The study also found that most implementing organisations did not take up the role of promoting awareness about WII and this may have affected the uptake of WII by farmers and organisations that are implementing climate change adaptation projects. The study finds that farmers do not get cash payments when there is a loss event and farmers are not able to choose how the payout must be used. Furthermore, most of the study participants did not have knowledge about climate finance despite its increasing attention at the international level. This study can inform the design of WII so that it can be better implemented as a climate change adaptation tool in Malawi. 2016-06-10T07:35:08Z 2016-06-10T07:35:08Z 2015 Master Thesis Masters MSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19991 Eng application/pdf Department of Environmental and Geographical Science Faculty of Science University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Climate Change and Development Nthakomwa, Asimenye Assessing the role of weather index insurance in climate change adaptation in Malawi |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Assessing the role of weather index insurance in climate change adaptation in Malawi |
| title_full | Assessing the role of weather index insurance in climate change adaptation in Malawi |
| title_fullStr | Assessing the role of weather index insurance in climate change adaptation in Malawi |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing the role of weather index insurance in climate change adaptation in Malawi |
| title_short | Assessing the role of weather index insurance in climate change adaptation in Malawi |
| title_sort | assessing the role of weather index insurance in climate change adaptation in malawi |
| topic | Climate Change and Development |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19991 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nthakomwaasimenye assessingtheroleofweatherindexinsuranceinclimatechangeadaptationinmalawi |