Satellite-based crop insurance to benefit rice farmers – IRRI

MANILA, Philippines —  The government is teaming up with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to pilot an insurance program designed to monitor farm conditions and assess crop damage using satellite data.

IRRI has signed a memorandum of agreement with state-run firms Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. and the Philippine Rice Research Institute for satellite-based crop insurance and agro-advisory services for farmers.

IRRI director-general Yvonne Pinto told reporters the program aims to provide smallholder farmers with access to weather-based indexes for managing climate risks like droughts, floods or typhoons.

“The satellite data enables us to predict the reliability of yields and the performance of the material in the field, as well as to understand what risks are associated with extreme weather events that affect farmers,” she said.

The program, with support from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, is expected to benefit around 1,000 rice farmers across Camarines Sur and Isabela.

“The pilot is now underway. We are really pleased to collaborate with other partners to ensure we can bring solutions and provide resilience to farmers’ livelihoods in the rice sector,” Pinto said.

Crop insurance is considered one of the mechanisms to mitigate the impact of climate shocks on the vulnerable agriculture sector.

IRRI, however, said the traditional crop insurance has not always addressed farmers’ needs, citing slow processing of claims, subjective damage assessments and limited coverage.

With the latest initiative, the government and the global rice research center are set to launch a new payout mechanism to ensure farmers receive faster compensation for crop damage.

Latest Department of Agriculture data showed that agricultural losses due to natural disasters reached P57.8 billion in 2024 alone. These disasters include floods, droughts, volcanic eruptions, pests and diseases.