Climate Insurance for Smallholder Farmers: ICII 2026
Building resilient insurance markets requires more than innovative products. At ICII 2026 in Kigali, Blue Marble highlighted the role of reinsurance and strategic partnerships in expanding climate risk protection for smallholder farmers.
Climate insurance for smallholder farmers depends on more than effective product design. Delivering meaningful, sustainable protection requires a connected ecosystem that brings together farmers, insurers, reinsurers, development partners and capital providers.
At the International Conference on Inclusive Insurance (ICII 2026) in Kigali, Blue Marble’s Anuja Jaitly joined Sharon Onyango (IFC), Johannes Borchert (One Acre Fund) and Linet Odera (ZEP-RE) for a panel discussion hosted by One Acre Fund.
The discussion explored how collaboration across the insurance value chain can strengthen market capacity and make climate risk protection more accessible to underserved agricultural communities.
Reinsurance as a foundation for resilient markets
Reinsurance plays a critical role in developing sustainable climate insurance markets. Beyond transferring risk, it provides capacity that can help insurers offer protection in markets where coverage remains limited.
For smallholder farmers facing increasing climate uncertainty, reliable reinsurance support is an important part of building long-term financial resilience.
Complementary partnerships strengthen climate protection
Expanding inclusive insurance requires organisations with different capabilities to work toward shared objectives.
One Acre Re, ZEP-RE and Blue Marble’s Impact Reinsurance Facility contribute complementary capabilities across the insurance value chain.
By connecting expertise, capacity and local market knowledge, these partnerships can help strengthen the insurance ecosystem and expand access to climate risk protection.
Supporting protection through challenging climate conditions
Blue Marble’s Impact Reinsurance Facility is specifically designed to reinsure insurance products serving underserved markets.
By diversifying risk across different perils and geographies, the facility is structured to continue supporting insurance programmes through challenging periods, including years affected by El Niño.
This approach helps strengthen the sustainability of insurance solutions when climate-related risks place additional pressure on agricultural communities.
Turning collaboration into action in Rwanda
The importance of these partnerships extends beyond industry discussions.
Blue Marble is working with One Acre Fund on an insurance product in Rwanda, demonstrating how collaboration can translate into practical insurance solutions for smallholder farmers.
This work reflects Blue Marble’s commitment to developing inclusive insurance ecosystems that combine financial protection, commercial sustainability and long-term impact.
Advancing inclusive insurance through partnership
The success of climate insurance innovation is ultimately measured by its ability to deliver meaningful protection to underserved communities.
Through impact reinsurance, strategic partnerships and scalable insurance solutions, Blue Marble continues working to strengthen the systems that make financial resilience possible.
Are you an insurer, development partner or organisation working to expand climate risk protection for smallholder farmers? Connect with Blue Marble to explore opportunities for collaboration.
