Country Spotlights
From crop insurance to data-driven services, we innovate to empower smallholder farmers and businesses and to build climate resilience. Explore case studies from some of our focus countries.
Ethiopia
KEY NUMBERS
1 million
farmers insured across the Amhara, Oromia, and Tigray regions
$1.5+ million
in payouts provided to farmers
$46+ million
protected in agricultural investments
key services
-
Area Yield Index Insurance
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Hybrid Livestock Insurance
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Disaster Risk Financing
-
EUDR compliance services
In Ethiopia, smallholder farmers form the backbone of the nation’s economy and food security, but they face significant risks due to extreme weather events, pests and diseases, and economic volatility.
Developing a large-scale insurance market for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia requires a deep understanding of systemic barriers and innovative solutions. Pula has successfully embedded agricultural insurance into Ethiopia’s Input Voucher System (IVS), which reaches over 7.5 million farmers annually, significantly reducing distribution costs and improving accessibility. Through strong public-private partnerships with the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI), World Food Programme (WFP), KfW Development Bank, Oromia Insurance Company, and regional agricultural bureaus, we have built trust and scaled insurance adoption.
To ensure adoption of our Area Yield Index Insurance (AYII) , Pula has implemented localized farmer sensitization and training programs, deploying over 1,000 trained local youth as field coordinators and agents, while leveraging radio campaigns, roadshows, and extension workers to educate farmers on the benefits of insurance, fostering long-term resilience and financial security.
Our journey in Ethiopia is not just about protection against climate shocks—it is about unlocking financial security, improving productivity, and forging a future where smallholder farmers can thrive.
Voices from the Ground
“Before Pula, farmers in our region faced catastrophic losses with no safety net. This insurance model has changed the game. Now, farmers can recover and reinvest in their fields, driving growth and stability across our agricultural sector.”
Mushera Sisay, Head of Agricultural Development Center, Amhara Bureau of Agriculture
“I never thought insurance would work for farmers like me. Now, I can farm with confidence, knowing that even in bad years, I won’t lose everything.”
Birhanu Tilaye, Smallholder farmer, Ethiopia
“The integration of insurance into the national input system is a model that can transform smallholder agriculture across Africa. The ability to scale while maintaining affordability is critical to ensuring long-term impact.”
Samuel Ssenyima, Senior Program Officer at the Gates Foundation
Uganda
KEY NUMBERS
1.1+ million
Coffee farmers (about 45% of Uganda’s Coffee farmers) geo-mapped and digitally profiled
99.4%
data quality score verified by Meridia an external data verifier based in Netherlands
1.3+ billion
USD secured in Uganda’s annual coffee revenue, strengthening Uganda’s position in the EU coffee market
3,500+
jobs created for the Ugandan youth (at least 40% are women), equipping workforce with digital skills
Key Services
-
EUDR Compliance Services
-
Area Yield Index Insurance
In Uganda, coffee is the backbone of the economy, generating over $1 billion annually and supporting millions of livelihoods. With 70% of Uganda’s coffee exports destined for the EU, the country faced a critical challenge: how to comply with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and protect the economic future of its farmers and exporters.
Pula, in close partnership with Uganda’s Ministry of Agriculture and top private sector exporters has turned this regulatory pressure into an opportunity to build a digital, traceable, and climate-smart agricultural future.
In partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), aBi Development(supported by the Royal Danish Embassy and the European Union), and leading exporters such as Kyagalanyi/Volcafe, UGACOF/Sucafina, GrainPulse and LDC, we have geo-mapped over 1.1 million coffee farmers across 126 districts in Uganda in 8months. This initiative supported Uganda’s compliance with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), enabling continued market access and positioning the country as a traceability leader in Africa.
Using our proprietary digital tools like MAVUNO, PULA digitized field operations, deployed trained local agents, captured polygon-level geolocation data, and integrated climate risk assessments. Our scalable system ensures real-time data quality, compliance readiness, and seamless integration with national databases. Through the project, Pula mapped over 60% of Uganda’s coffee farmers, enabling the first official shipment of EUDR-compliant coffee to the EU in 2024. We aim to geo map another 2million farmers in the next 12months.
Beyond compliance, the initiative has created over 3,500 jobs for rural youth, who have been trained and deployed as field agents to support farmer registration and geolocation. By bringing young people into the agricultural value chain, the program is helping reduce rural-urban migration and stimulate local economies.
Pula’s work in Uganda demonstrates that sustainability and trade competitiveness can go hand in hand—and that public-private partnerships are essential for delivering at scale.
Voices from the Ground
“Pula’s methodology has ensured that Uganda’s coffee exports remain compliant with EUDR. This is about protecting farmers’ livelihoods and strengthening our agricultural economy.”
Richard Mwesigwa, Acting Programmes Director, aBi Development
“This partnership is vital for ensuring Ugandan farmers continue to access European markets and sustain their livelihoods.”
Thomas Vaassen, CEO and Co-founder, Meridia
“I want to join the EUDR program because it will help the coffee brokers to identify me.I hope the EUDR income can help me to invest in maize farming and buy clothes for me and kids”
Robinah Nassaka, Smallholder farmer, Uganda
Zambia
KEY NUMBERS
USD $39 million
paid out to farmers in 2024
1+ million
farmers insured with Ministry of Agriculture and the Zambia Agriculture Insurance Consortium
Partnerships
with Ministry of Agriculture and the Zambia Agriculture Insurance Consortium
Key Services
-
Area Yield Index Insurance
Zambia’s agriculture sector is not only a vital contributor to GDP but a lifeline for over 50% of the population. It accounts for more than 20% of formal employment, with millions of livelihoods depending on seasonal crops. Yet the country’s farmers are on the frontlines of climate change, and in 2024, they faced the worst drought in 32 years, a crisis driven by the El Niño phenomenon that affected over 9 million people, half of Zambia’s population.
As harvests failed and food insecurity rose, Pula, in partnership with the Government of Zambia, local insurers, and the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), delivered a historic breakthrough for agricultural resilience.
Scaling Resilience through FISP
Since beginning operations in Zambia in 2019, Pula has worked closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and local partners to embed climate insurance within Zambia’s flagship input subsidy program—FISP. This integration has enabled farmers to receive both subsidized inputs and risk protection in one seamless package.
In November 2024, Zambia recorded Africa’s largest-ever crop insurance payout:
800 million ZMW (US$29 million) was disbursed to compensate 802,488 smallholder farmers affected by drought and adverse weather during the 2023/2024 growing season.
From maize and soybeans to sunflower, groundnuts, and sorghum, farmers across all 10 provinces received support that allowed them to recover, replant, and keep their agricultural businesses alive.
Voices from the Ground
“As Zambia faces increasing climate-related risks, programs like this insurance payout provide critical support to our farmers. This is a crucial moment in the journey toward sustainable farming and economic security for Zambia’s agricultural community.”
Moses Siame, Managing Director, Professional Insurance (Zambia Agriculture Insurance Consortium)
“The payout not only marks a milestone in the Zambian government’s commitment to farmers but also symbolizes our collective resolve to build a climate-resilient agriculture sector.”
Reuben Mtolo, Minister of Agriculture, Zambia
"After the drought last year, I was devastated. But thanks to my crop insurance, I received a payout that helped me cover my losses. It allowed me to plant this year and continue my farming journey. Without that support, I don't know if I could have bounced back."
Chitatu Jerome, Maize Farmer
Mozambique
KEY NUMBERS
$230 million
in total insured exposure
1 million+
households protected
Key Services
-
Area Yield Index Insurance
-
Tropical Cyclone Index Insurance
Mozambique stands as one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries — and the most disaster-prone in Africa, according to the UN. Its 2,500 km coastline and geographical position expose the country to frequent tropical cyclones, floods, and prolonged droughts, which threaten lives, infrastructure, and its agriculture-led economy. In 2019, Cyclones Idai and Kenneth devastated crops, killed thousands, and caused over $870 million in damage, revealing major gaps in financial preparedness and farmer protection.
To address Mozambique’s heightened vulnerability to extreme weather, Pula partnered with the Government of Mozambique, the National Disaster Management Institute (INGD), and The World Bank to design and implement Africa’s first Tropical Cyclone Index Insurance product. Historically, Mozambique has suffered significant damage from tropical cyclones that, while not making direct landfall, unleashed destructive levels of precipitation. To account for this, the product was built with a dual-trigger mechanism: one based on a wind index and the other on a precipitation index.
This hybrid model provides comprehensive protection by ensuring payouts not only for high-wind cyclone events but also for storms that cause losses through excessive rainfall. By covering both scenarios, the solution mirrors the complex and evolving nature of Mozambique’s climate threats. Critically, this innovation delivers nationwide financial protection—enabling rapid, data-driven disbursements to support post-disaster recovery across infrastructure and essential public services.
Complementing the cyclone insurance product, Pula implemented Area Yield Index Insurance (AYII) to protect smallholder farmers against drought and yield variability. In partnership with the Lemonade Foundation and KfW Development Bank, we are developing a specialized digital platform to promote and distribute crop index insurance products. This platform leverages innovative technologies such as smart contracts to deliver affordable, scalable risk protection for smallholder farmers.
This initiative also aims to strengthen the ability of local anchor firms to access working capital by bundling insurance into credit products. In doing so, it facilitates the integration of smallholder farmers, especially those in rural areas, into formal agricultural value chains—improving their financial resilience and unlocking new income opportunities, access to goods and financial markets.
Voices from the Ground
“Mozambique is the 3rd most vulnerable country in Africa to disaster risks (according to the UN’s Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction). Frequent natural disasters disrupt livelihoods and food production of the most vulnerable people, undermining the fight against extreme poverty. The introduction of the Area Yield Index Insurance in Mozambique targeting smallholder farmers marks an important step in agribusiness development in the country.”
Dr. Nephas Munyeche, Chief of Party / Country Rep. Mozambique, ACDI/VOCA
Benin
KEY NUMBERS
1+ million
farmers insured targeted by 2027
Key Services
-
Area Yield Index Insurance
Benin’s agricultural sector employs over 70% of the population and contributes to 27% of the GDP. Yet the country is increasingly exposed to climate shocks: droughts, floods, and crop diseases that threaten the livelihoods of its smallholder farmers. For the majority of smallholders, who depend on rain-fed agriculture and informal markets, one poor season can mean lost income, food insecurity, and no clear path to recovery.
To tackle this urgent challenge, the Government of Benin, in partnership with Pula, the National Fund for Agricultural Development (FNDA), and insurance and development partners such as Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and LuxDev, launched a landmark national agricultural insurance program in 2025. The initiative aims to reach over 1 million farmers in the long-term.
At its core is Area Yield Index Insurance (AYII), an innovative risk transfer solution designed for scale, equity, and transparency. Farmers are grouped into agro-ecological zones (AEZ), and their compensation is based on yield sampling conducted by trained local agents. These Crop Cut Experiments (CCEs) are used to calculate payouts based on a comparison between the zone’s seasonal average and long-term historical production benchmarks.
In 2025, the government and development partners have committed to 80% premium subsidies for insured farmers, with coverage amounts tied directly to input investments, ensuring that losses can be recovered and the next season’s inputs secured. Over 11,000 rice farmers were already enrolled in the pilot season, and the first round of payouts in 2025 provided timely compensation to farmers facing yield losses.
The impact of Area Yield Index Insurance goes beyond financial compensation. By providing farmers with a reliable safety net during poor harvests, AYII enables them to recover more quickly, reinvest in their farms, and plan with greater confidence. It reduces the burden of climate risk, stabilizes household income, and supports long-term productivity across Benin’s agricultural sector.
Voices from the Ground
“We welcome the Beninese government's commitment to relaunching agricultural insurance, with an inclusive model made up of insurance professionals, socio-professional organizations and specialized structures such as PULA, which has demonstrated recognized expertise in the field.”
Stéphanie Guha, Deputy Head, Swiss International Cooperation in Benin
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"Financial institutions are often reluctant to support the sector, which does not align with the state's efforts to prioritize agricultural financing aimed at boosting the national economy and improving food and nutritional security. Today's launch is essential to rally all stakeholders around agricultural insurance, which is now a reality in Benin."
Nicolas Ahouissoussi, Director General, National Fund for Agricultural Development (FNDA)
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The government-approved Pilot project for the integration of index-based agricultural insurance to increase the resilience of small-scale farmers to incidents of climate change represents a crucial step in our country's commitment to strengthening the resilience of small-scale producers and farmers to the devastating effects of climate change.
Gaston C. Dossouhoui, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Livestock, Benin