Risk and Vulnerability Mailing List Archive

["John Farrington" <<address removed>>]

The message earlier today from John Farrington set out ideas on what it would
take to implement the World Bank's Social Risk Management framework, and how
the framework might be modified. A set of powerpoint slides relating to these
arguments can now be accessed at
http://dfid-agriculture-consultation.nri.org/theme3/keypapers.htm
 
These pose a number of pressing questions:
 
1. is it realistic to expect policy at the highest levels (on exchange rates,
interest rates, and other aspects of fiscal and monetary management) to be
formulated in ways that take into account the needs of low-income farmers?
What pressure might be brought to bear on such decisions? Will discussions
between donors and governments on Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers and
Medium Term Expenditure Frameworks provide a useful lever?
 
2. The same set of questions applies also at sectoral level: how and how far
can we get Agriculture Ministries to "think outside the box" - e.g. of
reducing the variance around crop yields (which is one indicator of risk)
instead of just going all out for yield increases? Can we also get them to
think of new forms of crop insurance and insurance against price fluctuations
(which seem bound to get worse as markets liberalise and globalisation
progresses)?
 
3. How do we get measures reducing risk and vulnerability in the domestic
sphere (e.g. in relation to health, injury, death, marriage expenses etc) to
complement those focusing on the productive sphere (e.g. in relation to
climatic and price shocks and trends)? How far do micro-savings and
micro-insurance go towards bridging this divide? Are there
government-sponsored as well as NGO models that we might draw on here? What
does it take to make these work?
 
Responses welcome!!
 
John Farrington


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