Overview

Agriculture is the backbone of many developing economies, and the primary income source for one in three people worldwide, of whom three in four live in extreme poverty. With minimal financial protection, smallholder farmers are particularly vulnerable: just 1 percent of smallholder farmers have insurance in sub-Saharan Africa.

As climate risks increase, greater financial resilience is needed to safeguard livelihoods and economies. In Ethiopia, for example, more than 59 percent of the population depends on agriculture, and GDP is projected to drop 10 percent by 2045 if significant progress on climate adaptation is not achieved.

De-risking instruments, including insurance, are key to building resilience for producers and global food value chains, while also attracting finance for agriculture and climate adaptation.

UNDP’s offer

UNDP is supporting food systems transformation by promoting insurance within broader de-risking frameworks, facilitating cross-ministerial collaboration to institutionalize the insurance agenda and protecting business models by bundling insurance with services and products delivered by value chain actors.

Where we
work

Building resilience for smallholder farmers and supply chains worldwide

Learn More

The boundaries and names shown and the designations on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations. 

Our Projects

UNDP is de-risking investments in food systems and global supply chains.

Fisherman at dusk