FINANCAL INCLUSION
What is it?
Financial Inclusion is defined as the availability and equality of opportunities to access financial services. For smallholder farmers this means having access to useful and affordable financial products and services like crop insurance, saving tools and agricultural loans that meet their needs and are delivered in a responsible and sustainable way.
How is it achieved?
From OKO's point of view, Financial Inclusion is a matter of pricing, distribution and education.
- Prices must be adapted to match the willingness to pay of low-income populations. This might also imply that the service delivered is different: our insurance covers an amount per hectare that is lower than traditional insurance, and covers the most acute risks only.
- Distribution needs to allow access from remote location, and not discriminate based on gender, wealth or level of education. OKO's insurance is available from any mobile device (no smartphone or internet needed), from any location and to all genders. Support is provided in local language.
- Education is a full part of the customer journey. Products need to be easy to understand, and explained in simple terms. Specific efforts are made by OKO to conduct awareness campaigns and education campaigns to explain the value of insurance.
