| Article ID: | iaor20111788 |
| Volume: | 78 |
| Issue: | 1 |
| Start Page Number: | 37 |
| End Page Number: | 55 |
| Publication Date: | Mar 2011 |
| Journal: | Journal of Risk and Insurance |
| Authors: | Karlan Dean, Kutsoati Ed, McMillan Margaret, Udry Chris |
| Keywords: | investment, agriculture & food |
Farmers face a particular set of risks that complicate the decision to borrow. We use a randomized experiment to investigate (1) the role of crop-price risk in reducing demand for credit among farmers and (2) how risk mitigation changes farmers’ investment decisions. In Ghana, we offer farmers loans with an indemnity component that forgives 50 percent of the loan if crop prices drop below a threshold price. A control group is offered a standard loan product at the same interest rate. Loan uptake is high among all farmers and the indemnity component has little impact on uptake or other outcomes of interest.