After three years of poor rains resulting in the death of thousands of livestock in Kenya, an insurance scheme is now offering vulnerable farmers a lifeline by using satellite images to monitor drought-hit areas.

Government and humanitarian agencies’ estimates show that average livestock losses are between 40-60% in some areas, and as high as 80% in others. The Kenya Livestock Insurance Programme monitors forage conditions via satellite throughout the two annual rainy seasons, triggering payouts to farmers when vegetation reaches critical levels.

According to a report published by the Guardian, the free government insurance agreement covers 14 000 farmers and is expected to extend to a further 10 000 in October, with the aim of covering 100 000 households in 2020.

To date, the largest payout occurred in February, where GBP1.7 million was given to 12 000 famers – roughly GBP140 per household – to compensate for last season’s drought, which caused the worst forage scarcity in Kenya for 16 years.  

2 May 2017
Image: Gallo/Getty Images