Agriculture insurance has finally been launched for the first time in Botswana with the facilitation of the Agricultural Hub, as the sector tries to move towards full commercialisation. This week, Agrinsure Botswana a joint venture effort between South Africa’s Farmers Technical Insurance Services Company (FTISC) and Alexandra Forbes Botswana, was officially unveiled to stakeholders in … Continue reading
Equity Bank Ltd. and UAP Insurance Ltd. will insure livestock in northern Kenya against starvation and are offering the first African insurance program that will use satellite images to predict drought. The index-based product will initially be sold to herders of camels, cows, goats and sheep in Kenya’s arid Marsabit district, the Nairobi, Kenya-based International … Continue reading
Herders in northern Kenya who suffered large cattle losses during recent droughts are to be offered livestock insurance in a pioneering project that uses satellite imagery of available grazing to determine when payouts occur. The scheme, billed as a world first by the International Livestock Research Institute, is being launched today in the arid Marsabit … Continue reading
“This is a new approach to tackle an old problem,” Carlos Sere, director general of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), said of the satellite-based insurance for cattle, goats and other animals. Satellite images will measure the greenness of vegetation in the Marsabit area of northern Kenya. A shift to brown will trigger payouts to … Continue reading
The Livestock ministry is seeking additional funds from Treasury to help farmers replenish their herds after the recent biting drought and floods in parts of the country. It wants KES 700 million in addition to the KES 130 million earmarked for the exercise, said permanent secretary Kenneth Lusaka, adding that they had prepared a Cabinet … Continue reading
Bone dry, dusty and windy, the vast plains outside Arusha are often a sight of despair and hopelessness during the height of the dry season. Such was the situation in most of the Maasailand for the past one year. The dreadful situation was too obvious even for travellers along the Great North Road; Arusha- Namanga … Continue reading
Insurers will use satellite images of vegetation to assess Kenyan farmers’ claims for cattle deaths during drought. In a pilot project due to start in early 2010, the Kenya-based International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) will analyse freely-available satellite data to observe changes in vegetation in northern Kenya. The technology works by detecting changes in light … Continue reading
Currently, 90 per cent of meat eaten in East Africa comes from pastoralists, who move with their flocks and herds in search of grazing and water. Pius Sawa discovers just how the meat gets from those pastures to his plate. It’s an amazing journey. Read (and listen) … (AGFAX) Continue reading
In East Africa, drought has caused terrible losses, with cattle dying in large numbers. Now, some livestock keepers have decided to conduct a drought survey, to find out what they could have done to be better prepared. Kofi Adu Domfeh visited some of those who took part, to find out how useful such community-driven research … Continue reading
Drought and war in eastern Africa have left more than 20 million people in desperate need of emergency food aid, the United Nations said on Tuesday. “The situation is very worrying due to expected crop and pasture failures from poor rains in several areas, the increase in conflicts, trade disruptions and continuing high food prices,” … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 