Coping with Agricultural Income Risks from Natural Disasters: Efficacy of Formal and Informal Mechanisms in Vulnerable Region of India

Abstract Based on our analysis it can be concluded that the formal risk aversion mechanism has limited scope in the disaster-prone areas of the country. Addressing the assessment and adequacy of compensation amount along with information asymmetry in the formal insurance market should be a top priority for improving the efficacy. The ex-post measures under formal risk coping also have limited impact, indicating the underdevelopment of insurance and commercial credit markets in the region. Ex-ante risk aversion mechanism, particularly climate-resilient technologies may be conducive to the stable increase of farmers’ income and the continuous development of rural economy in the long-run. Therefore, it is of great significance to provide farmers with assistance to address the income risk in better terms.