The publication proposes a new approach to insurance for low-income rural farmers, aiming to reduce climate-related risks and promote financial inclusion across the country.
The book traces the journey beginning in 2012, when it became necessary to reverse the traditional insurance model to create a new agricultural insurance product tailored to smallholder farmers. Hollard emerged as a pioneer in this field, venturing into what many believed to be an unprofitable and unsustainable market.
Author Israel Muchena explained his motivation for writing the book: "Mozambique is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to severe climate risks, we have over four million smallholder farmers who depend on the land and lack any form of risk mitigation, and this is my contribution to promoting insurance among smallholder farmers and advancing financial inclusion."
During the launch event, Hollard CEO Henri Mittermayer, who presented the book, noted: "As the book’s title suggests — about reversing agricultural insurance — we have proven that insurance can be inclusive, technology can be empowering, and partnerships can transform entire sectors."
By leveraging satellite technology, mobile payments, and innovative partnerships with seed suppliers, an innovative model was developed that delivered index-based insurance directly to smallholder farmers. The insurance is embedded in the very inputs they need to grow their crops. Currently, more than 37,000 farmers in the provinces of Manica, Sofala, and Tete benefit from this insurance model.
The book launch was attended by representatives from various institutions, including the Insurance Supervisory Institute of Mozambique (ISSM), the Rural Observatory (OMR), and the Regional Centre of Excellence in Agri-Food Systems and Nutrition (CE-AFSN) at Eduardo Mondlane University.
Israel Muchena is also the author of several other books and has twice received the African Insurance Book of the Year award from the African Insurance Organisation — for “Insurance Development in Mozambique” in 2017 and “Insurance Development in Angola” in 2019.
The Portuguese edition of the book is scheduled for release in October in Chimoio, Manica Province.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Jéssica Figueiredo – jessicaf@hollard.co.mz
