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Published on
09.06.25
The Philippines launched a pilot program combining satellite-based crop insurance and weather-informed agro-advisories to enhance climate resilience and risk management for Filipino rice farmers, with plans for nationwide scaling.
Los Baños, Philippines (9 June 2025) – The Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC), Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice), Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT are working together to pilot a program for satellite-based crop insurance and agro-advisory services for farmers.
Representatives from PCIC, DA-PhilRice, PAGASA, IRRI and CIAT signed a Memorandum of Agreement on 9 June 2025 as part of the IRRI 65th anniversary celebrations in IRRI Headquarters, Los Baños, Laguna.
The program is designed to enhance climate resilience and improve risk management for Filipino farmers. Building on the 2023 collaboration between PCIC, IRRI, and DA-PhilRice, this initiative now includes a new payout mechanism bundled with agro-advisory aimed at providing better support to farmers. The pilot is being carried out under CGIAR Climate Action Science Program and the Scaling for Impact Program, both of which support science-based innovations for climate-resilient food systems.
An average of 20 typhoons visits the Philippines every year, impacting people, livelihoods, and infrastructure. The Department of Agriculture reported that in 2024 alone, agricultural losses due to natural disasters reached Php 57.8 billion. These disasters include floods, droughts, volcanic eruptions, pests, and diseases.
Crop insurance is seen as one of the mechanisms to cushion the impact of climate shocks on the already vulnerable agriculture sector. However, traditional crop insurance has not always fully addressed farmers’ needs, which can discourage them from availing crop insurance. Reports indicate that challenges such as slow claims processing, subjective damage…