Gov’t to insure 250,000 farmers in 11 counties under climate risk pilot
By Nancy Marende, July 21, 2025The government is set to insure 250,000 farmers in 11 counties under a climate risk resilience initiative that integrates climate-smart insurance into Kenya’s National Fertiliser Subsidy Program.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, the pilot phase rollout will cover Makueni, Machakos, Kisii, Migori, Meru, Nyeri, Trans-Nzoia, Kakamega, Kericho, Nakuru, and Uasin Gishu counties, ahead of a national scale-up next year.
In a statement on July 21, 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development announced that the initiative is being implemented through a partnership with Pula, Bayer Foundation, Lemonade Foundation, SOMPO Digital Lab, and Etherisc.
“The initiative, the first of its kind in Kenya and in the broader region, will be piloted across 11 counties and is expected to reach approximately 250,000 crop farmers before expanding nationwide,” read the statement in part.
Further, the ministry revealed that the program will expand its coverage and deploy innovative public-private financing mechanisms to reduce vulnerability and promote sustained investment in agricultural inputs.
The program
The partnership aims to integrate insurance into subsidised fertiliser distribution, supporting the government’s broader vision of enabling farmers to adopt climate-smart practices and data-driven tools to enhance productivity.
Furthermore, the program will enhance uptake and confidence in the fertiliser subsidy program by providing value-added services.
Under the program, each farmer registered on the Kenya Integrated Agriculture Management Information System (KIAMIS) in the beneficiary counties will be offered insurance coverage for Ksh7,000 this season, which is equivalent to the investment needed for two bags of subsidised fertiliser, which they procure from the government.
For subsequent seasons, the coverage amount and number of beneficiary counties will be increased.
Similarly, farmers are automatically enrolled in the insurance scheme when receiving their subsidised fertiliser, an essential step in the success of this public-private partnership initiative to de-risk smallholder farmers from climate-related threats, marking a major shift toward inclusive insurance at scale.
Speaking during the launch, Bayer’s Head of Public Affairs, Science, and Sustainability, Mildred Nadah Pita, stated that the partnership creates meaningful access to resilience.
“At Bayer Foundation, we believe that insurance shouldn’t be a privilege for a few but a tool that empowers underserved farmers, especially women and youth, to thrive in the face of climate change,” she said.
“The future of climate protection in agriculture lies in scalable, digital-first solutions. By leveraging digital infrastructure and integrating with mobile wallets, we ensure that farmers are paid, transparently and rapidly, when it matters most,” Dimitri Fischler, the Lemonade Foundation’s strategy and operations lead, said.