Comments on: Marrying Microfinance with Microinsurance: Increasing Impact http://www.planetd.org/2007/01/04/marrying-microfinance-with-microinsurance-increasing-impact/ Critiquing the Politics, Policy & Practice of Development Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:08:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jatin Khan http://www.planetd.org/2007/01/04/marrying-microfinance-with-microinsurance-increasing-impact/comment-page-1/#comment-125564 Jatin Khan Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:34:13 +0000 http://www.planetd.org/2007/01/04/marrying-microfinance-with-microinsurance-increasing-impact/#comment-125564 "Hi, Nice post & informative too. I think this will help answer all questions related to microfinance. Here is an online tool which helps people to plan their insurance according to their needs & budget especially health insurance & retirement plan. Please check this out at - http://www.simpleinsurance.co.in/" “Hi,
Nice post & informative too. I think this will help answer all questions related to microfinance. Here is an online tool which helps people to plan their insurance according to their needs & budget especially health insurance & retirement plan.
Please check this out at – http://www.simpleinsurance.co.in/“

]]> By: Dweep Chanana http://www.planetd.org/2007/01/04/marrying-microfinance-with-microinsurance-increasing-impact/comment-page-1/#comment-46837 Dweep Chanana Sun, 11 Feb 2007 20:44:00 +0000 http://www.planetd.org/2007/01/04/marrying-microfinance-with-microinsurance-increasing-impact/#comment-46837 Interestingly, I just learned of the MI compendium by Craig Churchil yesterday, and certainly plan to check it out. However, I think you are overly simplistic in blaming modern farming methods for the debt trap. Modern farming methods - not necessarily fertilizer heavy - are something Indian farmers need more, not less of. While chemicals certainly have problems, most modern techniques can be corrected to maximize productivity while reducing harmful sideffects. Drip irrigation is a case in point. As to why the debt trap, it is simply that too many farmers are working on an activity that is no longer viable at a subsistence level. What will be needed is to get more farmers away from farms, and into other work. Interestingly, I just learned of the MI compendium by Craig Churchil yesterday, and certainly plan to check it out.

However, I think you are overly simplistic in blaming modern farming methods for the debt trap. Modern farming methods – not necessarily fertilizer heavy – are something Indian farmers need more, not less of. While chemicals certainly have problems, most modern techniques can be corrected to maximize productivity while reducing harmful sideffects. Drip irrigation is a case in point. As to why the debt trap, it is simply that too many farmers are working on an activity that is no longer viable at a subsistence level. What will be needed is to get more farmers away from farms, and into other work.

]]> By: dr.g.gandhi http://www.planetd.org/2007/01/04/marrying-microfinance-with-microinsurance-increasing-impact/comment-page-1/#comment-46723 dr.g.gandhi Sun, 11 Feb 2007 04:20:34 +0000 http://www.planetd.org/2007/01/04/marrying-microfinance-with-microinsurance-increasing-impact/#comment-46723 Why marry MFI & MI?-I mean the 3 poverty alleviation tools - Microsavings, Microcedit and microinsurance (MS,MC,MI)- they are already the three inseparable facets of any MFI actitvites across the globe!AND ALL 3 MFI tools are integrated and intermingled ones! Many examples world over are now thriving to quote as case studies of good practices followed in this segment !(Refer:ILO's Microinsurance compendium( 2006) by Craig Churchil) But , it's just a beginning ... a long way ahead...especially in India ..with increasing 'Farmers'suicide'cases!It is these farmers who sacrifice their lives for providing 'food security' to the billion mouths of our vast country but in the process they end up committing suicide?is it justified socially ?Why? whatis the basic malady in this system ? It is nothing but the misleading of farmers away from traditionally followed natural farming methods and putting them in a vicious trap of hitech farming with total dependance on costliest pesticides, chemical fertilizers and hi-bred seeds and so on !Thus caught in a debt trap ,already gullible farmers they are ,they do not know the way-out when the monsoon dependant crop fails totally!Had they not borrowed heavily for purchasing all these costly external inputs , they would not have gone into the killer 'debt-trap' but just lost the agri.income for that one season only!Debt-trap would not have been there ! Hence , the only solution is to take our farmers back to the tradional natural (read organic) farming system which in itself is assurance for enhancing soil fertility,water retention and soil microorganisms thus ensuring a minimum yield outputs! Would the learned community of sociologists listen to the far cries (unheard) of our farming community?! drgg Why marry MFI & MI?-I mean the 3 poverty alleviation tools – Microsavings, Microcedit and microinsurance (MS,MC,MI)-
they are already the three inseparable facets of any MFI actitvites across the globe!AND ALL 3 MFI tools are integrated and intermingled ones!

Many examples world over are now thriving to quote as case studies of good practices followed in this segment !(Refer:ILO’s Microinsurance compendium( 2006) by Craig Churchil)

But , it’s just a beginning … a long way ahead…especially in India ..with increasing ‘Farmers’suicide’cases!It is these farmers who sacrifice their lives for providing ‘food security’ to the billion mouths of our vast country but in the process they end up committing suicide?is it justified socially ?Why? whatis the basic malady in this system ?
It is nothing but the misleading of farmers away from traditionally followed natural farming methods and putting them in a vicious trap of hitech farming with total dependance on costliest pesticides, chemical fertilizers and hi-bred seeds and so on !Thus caught in a debt trap ,already gullible farmers they are ,they do not know the way-out when the monsoon dependant crop fails totally!Had they not borrowed heavily for purchasing all these costly external inputs , they would not have gone into the killer ‘debt-trap’ but just lost the agri.income for that one season only!Debt-trap would not have been there !
Hence , the only solution is to take our farmers back to the tradional natural (read organic) farming system which in itself is assurance for enhancing soil fertility,water retention and soil microorganisms thus ensuring a minimum yield outputs!
Would the learned community of sociologists listen to the far cries (unheard) of our farming community?!
drgg

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