Abstract

The sector of agriculture needs protection for its critical role in responding to human needs as well as its vulnerability to various risks. This risk factor emanates from sector’s high dependence to natural conditions and it is mainly this factor, which necessitates protection. Insurance is one way to cope with natural risks involved in agricultural activities. The main theme of this insurance is agricultural production in general, covering both crop farming and livestock activities. The importance of insurance in agriculture becomes clearer when one considers that in Turkey, 97% of all cultured land receives precipitation in the form of hail, that farmers’ loss in areas with heavy hail may even reach such rates as 46% and that only a small amount of this loss can be compensated for under the existing law. The study is an attempt to examine the present state of social protection in the 9 villages of Siran District, Gumushane and to expose the patterns of crop farming and animal husbandry, risks involved in these activities, existing insurance practices, and level of information and tendencies of local farmers in regard to insurance. It was also the aim of the study to come up with viable and sustainable insurance models in the context of the “Project for Income Generating Activities” carried out in the area jointly by the Turkish Development Office (TDO) and German Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ).  

Key words: Agricultural insurance, rural area, insuarance models, agricultural risks.