Salaseini Litidamu Koroi, a former schoolteacher from Buabua in Lautoka, transitioned to sugarcane farming after her retirement in 2013. Alongside her, Subamma from Mataniwai in Tavua has been cultivating sugarcane for over 29 years. These two women recently became pioneers in utilizing a newly enhanced parametric micro insurance tailored for vulnerable communities, especially smallholder farmers. This insurance aims to provide financial security for crops facing severe weather challenges.
Their participation in this insurance program comes after enduring significant crop losses due to extreme weather events. Subamma shared that her life changed dramatically after her husband’s passing in 2018, forcing her to manage their eight acres of farmland alone. The following years brought unprecedented rainfall and flooding that devastated her crops, causing extensive losses. Although her micro insurance does not completely cover her income losses, it has been instrumental in enabling her to start the farming process again.
Koroi, who also has experienced a decline in her sugarcane production due to changing weather patterns, noticed a significant shift in conditions over the years. She emphasized the negative impact of decreased sunlight and increased flooding on crop yields. As a proactive measure, she enrolled in the parametric micro insurance program after its 2021 launch, finding it beneficial as it now offers coverage against various climate-related events like flooding and drought.
This micro insurance initiative, backed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and several international partners, aims to protect vulnerable communities from the impacts of climate change. The program, initially piloted in Fiji, is being extended to other Pacific nations like Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Kiribati, and Papua New Guinea, with future global replication plans. The scale of coverage has grown significantly from just 1,000 individuals three years ago to 25,000 households currently, with each certificate providing family-wide protection.
The Reserve Bank of Fiji is now responsible for promoting this insurance to vulnerable communities, emphasizing the urgent reality of climate change and its disproportionate effects on those most at risk. Governor Ariff Ali noted the critical need to build resilience among these communities to ensure they can not only survive but thrive amid climate challenges.
This initiative serves as a beacon of hope, showcasing how collaborative efforts can lead to innovative solutions that empower communities to tackle the ever-growing challenges posed by climate change.
In summary, the introduction of parametric micro insurance represents a vital step in building resilience among Fiji’s smallholder farmers, offering them a means to safeguard their livelihoods against increasingly unpredictable weather patterns while fostering a spirit of community support and sustainability.
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