In 2005, I began working with researchers at Columbia University’s International Research Institute in Climate and Society (IRI) to understand the difficulties of and opportunities for weather-based insurance products. This research has included short research trips to Malawi, Honduras, Guatemala, and Ethiopia.
As an applied anthropologist on the project, I investigated the interest of the farmers and others in the insurance project, as well as their relationships to the organizations and markets involved. I am continuing to assist with the evaluation of the insurance in Tigray state in Ethiopia.
Related Publications:
Norton, M., D. Osgood, M. Madajewicz, E. Holthaus, N. Peterson, M. Gebremichael, C. Mullally, and T. Teh. Evidence of demand for index insurance: Experimental games and commercial transactions in Ethiopia. Under revision at Journal of Development Studies.
Peterson, N. 2012 Developing climate adaptation: The intersection of climate research and development programmes in index insurance, Development and Change 43(2): 557-584.
Peterson, N. 2011. Climate Change Adaptation through Micro-Insurance in Ethiopia. CourseReader: Anthropology. Detroit: Gale. ISBN-10: 1111769559
Patt, A, Peterson, N, Carter, M, Velez, M, Hess, U, Pfaff A, and Suarez, P. 2009. Making index insurance attractive to farmers. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 14 (8): 737-753. DOI 10.1007/s11027-009-9196-3
Hellmuth M.E., Osgood D.E., Hess U., Moorhead A. and Bhojwani H. (eds) 2009. Index insurance and climate risk: Prospects for development and disaster management. Climate and Society No. 2. International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), Columbia University, New York, USA. (contributing author)
Broad, K., Bolson,J., Clement, A., Balstad, R., Marx, S., Peterson, N., Ramirez, I. 2007. Climate and Human Health: Physics, Policy and Possibilities. Oceans and Human Health: Risks and Remedies from the Sea, Eds. Walsh, P.J., S.L. Smith, L.E. Fleming, H. Solo-Gabriele, W.H. Gerwick. Elsevier Science Publishers, New York.