Automated weather stations bring low-cost insurance to Rwanda's farmers

As Rwandan farmers face increasingly erratic rainfall, Swiss Re has helped with the launch of an innovative programme that uses automated weather stations to provide low-cost insurance to protect farmers' loans for high-yielding seeds, fertilisers and other farm inputs.

"When it comes to the weather, most farmers have no choice but to simply pray for rain. And if the rains don't come, the crops don't grow," said Agnes Kalibata, Rwanda's Minister for Agriculture and