Date: 21^st – 23^rd October 2025

Course Overview

The Agricultural Insurance Webinar on Tobacco in Zimbabwe is designed as a progressive learning journey, starting with the foundations of agricultural risk and insurance while highlighting the economic importance of tobacco and the predominance of smallholder and contract farming. It will explore the sector’s diverse risks—including climatic perils, post-harvest losses, and financial vulnerabilities—before moving into detailed discussions on both indemnity-based products like Tobacco Hail & Wind Insurance and innovative index-based solutions. The webinar will examine key issues such as underwriting, pricing challenges, ESG-driven reinsurance constraints, and the complexities of claims and payouts. It will also address barriers to uptake, including affordability and financial literacy, while outlining strategies to improve penetration through contract farming and extension services. Concluding with a forward-looking perspective, the webinar will emphasize the role of government policy, Climate-Smart Agriculture, and sustainable practices in strengthening the long-term resilience of Zimbabwe’s tobacco value chain.

Course Objectives

By the end of this webinar, the participant will be able to:

·       Identify and analyze the key production, climate, market, and social risks specific to tobacco farming in Zimbabwe.

·       Differentiate between various agricultural insurance products such as Hail, Multi-Peril, Index-Based and determine their suitability for tobacco farmers.

·       Analyze the influence of contract farming, government policies, and global ESG/reinsurance trends on the availability and uptake of tobacco insurance.

·       Explain the critical steps in the insurance lifecycle, including underwriting, claims process, and effective risk management on the farm.

·       Propose and evaluate strategies to increase the penetration and effective utilization of agricultural insurance among smallholder and commercial tobacco farmers in Zimbabwe.

Course Outline

Target Audience

This training is structured to benefit participants from all critical stakeholder groups like: Tobacco Farmers, the insurance sector players including Underwriters, Product Development Specialists, Claims Adjusters, and Marketing Staff involved in the agricultural portfolio, Tobacco Contracting Companies, Banks and Microfinance, Government and Regulatory Bodies, Agricultural Extension Services and NGOs, and Development Partners.

Logistics

The webinar is free of charge. Participants are required to have a good internet connection and a digital device - preferably a laptop or tablet. The training will be conducted via the ZEP-RE Academy LMS. Participants will be required to create an account on the LMS to update their profile and gain access to the course.

Delivery

There shall be a 90-minute presentation by the facilitators followed by a 30-minute Question & Answer session to address any questions, comments, or observations from participants.

Time

10 AM CAT