Innovative Financial Services for Rural India Monsoon-Indexed Lending and Insurance for Smallholders

Agriculture & Rural Development Working Papers is an informal series produced by the Agriculture & Rural Development Department of the World Bank. These papers raise concepts and issues for discussion in the broader development community and describe ongoing research and/or implementation experiences from the Bank. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions are the author's own and should not be attributed to the World Bank, its management, its Board of Executive Directors, or the countries they represent. Some of the numbers quoted are estimates or approximations, and may be revised at a later stage. Ulrich Hess is an economist in the Agricultural and Rural Development department of the World Bank. India and Kairas Vakharia of Mahindra Shubhlabh in India for their vision and insights that ultimately motivated this paper. Many thanks to Melissa Williams who edited this volume and coordinated production and publication.