This paper describes different types of rural microfinance institutions, and examines their comparative advantages as well as related challenges to and strategies for deepening rural financial systems. The focus is not about which type of institution is better or worse for a particular target...

This paper describes different types of rural microfinance institutions, and examines their comparative advantages as well as related challenges to and strategies for deepening rural financial systems. The focus is not about which type of institution is better or worse for a particular target...

Purpose – For many farm families and operators across the OECD countries, off-farm income has become a major determinant of their well-being. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential role of off-farm employment as a risk management tool among farm operators....

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine if a single dominant measure defines farm size and farm performance consistently over a ten-year time period, or if alternative measures are needed. The paper also seeks to determine the correlation between farm size and farm performance and...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of the levels of inaccuracy associated with three different premium estimation methods, one of which attempts to mimic the protocol currently used by the Risk Management Agency (RMA), on the actuarial performance of the US crop...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine if there are positive microeconomic effects from a state-funded loan participation program on farm productivity and investment behavior. Design/methodology/approach – The authors take the approach that access to credit solves a liquidity...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine a new insurance policy against natural disasters. Design/methodology/approach – The authors propose an optimisation model, which involves both the insurer and the farmer. The farmer decides to insure his farm if and only if insurance improves...

Purpose – Farm level data are essential to accurate setting of crop insurance premium rates, but their time series tends to be too short to allow them to be the sole data source. County level data are available in longer time series, however. The purpose of this paper is to present a...