Webinar Link

Meeting No: 2514 686 4027
Password: farming

Certificate of Participants

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Abstract

Crop insurance is widely promoted as a key tool for managing agricultural risk and strengthening farmers' resilience against climate variability, natural disasters, and market uncertainties. However, its effectiveness depends on policy design, implementation, accessibility, and farmers' awareness. This webinar examines whether crop insurance truly protects farmers by exploring empirical evidence from diverse contexts, highlighting its benefits and limitations, and discussing persistent challenges such as low enrollment, delayed claim settlements, basis risk, and affordability. The session aims to foster informed dialogue on improving crop insurance schemes and identifying policy reforms that enhance risk protection, equity, and sustainable agricultural development.

Short Bio

Ashok Vishandass

Ashok Vishandass, Professor (Applied Economics) (IIPA) has interest in Sustainable Agriculture, Risk Management, International Trade & Commerce. As ex-Chairman (CACP) in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare at the level of the Secretary to the Govt. of India, he has rich experience of formulation of Agriculture Price and Non-Price Policies, nuances of fixing MSP of various agriculture commodities. Before joining IIPA, he had also served FAO of United Nations Organisation (UNO) as the Chief Technical Adviser. In his stint with the UNO, he provided high-level technical and economic advice relating to Food Security, SDGs, agricultural Marketing and brought out eight Reports.

Prof. Ashok holds Ph.D. (Agri. Economics), M.A. (Economics) (University of Manchester), M.B.A. (Financial Management), PG Diploma in Population and Development (JNU), M. Stat. (Master of Statistics) (Gold Medalist).

Digvijay Singh Negi

Digvijay Singh Negi is an Associate Professor at Ashoka University. His primary research areas include agricultural economics, risk and insurance, and environmental and resource economics. With student collaborators, he has also branched out into health and labor economics.

Digvijay’s previous work and research experience include working as an assistant professor at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR) from 2019 to 2024 and visiting Cornell University as a Fulbright Nehru Postdoctoral Fellow from 2022 to 2023. At IGIDR, Digvijay taught courses on applied econometrics and development economics. Digvijay has a Ph.D. in quantitative economics from the Indian Statistical Institute, New Delhi, and a Master of Economics from the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi.

Archana Singh

Archana Singh is Associate Professor, Development Insurance, at the National Insurance Academy, Pune. She has over eleven years of experience in training, research, and consultancy in the areas of financial inclusion, social security schemes, microinsurance, social insurance, rural insurance, and agricultural insurance.Her areas of interest include experiential learning, soft skills development, self-leadership, and personal transformation facilitation. She teaches Economics, Microinsurance, and Individual and Group Behaviour.

Archana Singh has served as a resource person, expert, and committee member for several national initiatives led by UNDP, NABARD, NIRDPR, the Ministry of Rural Development, and other development organizations. She has contributed to curriculum development, financial inclusion programs, social security initiatives, and capacity-building efforts for rural livelihoods and women’s entrepreneurship. She has also been involved in multiple research and consultancy projects related to social security schemes, microinsurance, agricultural insurance, and financial inclusion for organizations such as the Ministry of Finance, LIC, Agriculture Insurance Company of India, IGNOU, and SERP. Her academic contributions include 11 national publications and presentations at both national and international conferences.