Crop Price Indemnified Loans for Farmers: A Pilot Experiment in Rural GhanaFarmers face a particular set of risks that complicate the decision to borrow. Researchers 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 rural Ghana they offer farmers loans with an indemnity component that forgives 50% of the loan if crop prices drop to a threshold price. A control group is offered a standard loan product. The authors find high loan uptake among all farmers and little significant impact of the indemnity component on uptake or other outcomes of interest.
Date:
January 2010
Authors:
Dean Karlan, Ed Kutsoati, Margaret McMillan, and Chris Udry
Country:
Ghana
Research Areas:
Measuring Impact
Themes:
Credit, Participation, Product Design, Transfers & Subsidies
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