Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards Publications and Resources Livestock Insurance

A Discussion Paper for the Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards (LEGS)

Yacob Aklilu

This paper was commissioned to assess livestock insurance schemes and explore what evidence exists regarding the effective implementation of livestock insurance schemes to support the livelihoods of communities affected by crisis. The paper analyses the impact of these schemes on livelihoods, based on the LEGS livelihoods objectives, and makes recommendations on the relevance of livestock insurance to LEGS and the next edition of the LEGS Handbook. The paper discusses two livestock insurance systems – ‘traditional’ systems and emerging livestock insurance schemes. Supporting case studies from Kenya, Bangladesh, Sudan and Mongolia are also provided. The paper is the result of a cross-section of documents consulted from a number of countries and information obtained from key persons in Ethiopia. Simple definitions of technical terms are provided in the footnotes.