SUMMARY
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LAGUNA, Philippines – The Philippine government is piloting a crop insurance program using satellite technology for 1,000 rice farmers in Camarines Sur and Isabela, in a bid to speed up claims and produce impartial assessments.
Crop insurance helps farmers recover after a disaster. The use of satellite data can help eliminate the need for on-site damage assessment.
The pilot was launched on Monday, June 9, after the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation, Philippine Rice Research Institute, Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture signed a memorandum of agreement.
The program, called Area-Based Yield Index Insurance, uses historical seasonal rice yield data from the Philippine Rice Information System.
Aside from damage assessment, the government expects the technology to provide useful advisories to farmers based on weather forecasts.
This, IRRI Director General Yvonne Pinto told reporters on Monday, “enables us to predict the reliability of yields and the performance of the material in the field…the risks associated with extreme weather events that affect farmers.”
Filipino farmers are vulnerable to droughts and typhoons. In fact, agricultural production loss hit P57.8 billion in 2024 due to El Niño, pests and diseases, volcanic activities, and tropical cyclones.
The government conducted simulations in six towns during the dry season from 2023 to 2024 and the wet season in 2024.
“The technology is an integrated part of any investment in disaster risk management,” Qingfeng Zhang, senior director at the Asian Development Bank, said in the same press briefing.
Zhang said the ADB has invested “more than $500 million” in 2024 on early warning systems, agriculture insurance, and infrastructure support. – Rappler.com
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