More than 12,000 rural women have protection against the effects of climate change

According to Dane and the National Survey of Quality of Life for the Rural Population, in 2023 rural life in Colombia reached 10.64 million people, of which 5,160,000 are women; who add up to 29.4% of the female workforce in the country, representing 37% of agricultural employment worldwide, according to figures from the International Labor Organization (ILO).

And the United Nations Women Organization states that rural women are 25% of the world’s population; working as farmers, wage earners and entrepreneurs; similarly, in Colombia Nearly a third are located in the departments of Antioquia (10.8%), Cauca (8.3%) and Nariño (7.9%).

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In these same territories, the production of coffee, cocoa, corn, rice, among other foods, stands out.

For the month in which World Agriculture Day was commemorated, organizations such as UN Women, highlight that women producers are essential for Colombian agriculture because they promote food sovereignty, the production of healthy and sustainable food and also work so that the territories have their own economy.

In the case of Seguros Bolívar, rural women currently represent 29.7% of agricultural producers in the country who choose to protect their coffee, cocoa and multi-crop crops with parametric insurance.

“Since 2015, we have worked to create and strengthen alliances to benefit Colombian agriculture. Motivated by the unpredictable natural factors that our rural areas have and the uncertainty that these generate for agricultural producers, we have designed insurance with climate-smart technology to protect families’ investments in rural areas. Together with Finagro, cooperatives, associations, banks and microfinance institutions, we have managed to contribute to the protection of more than 12,000 rural women and their families,” said Alejandra Díaz, Director of Sustainability at Seguros Bolívar and Banco Davivienda.

As confirmed by the insurer One of the purposes of the developed parametric insurance is to contribute to closing the protection gap of the communities that need it most. Currently, Cacao Seguro, Café Seguro and Tranquibilidad Rural are present in 882 municipalities, where the producing communities, in addition to having the protection of their crops, also have access to economic development programs, business strengthening, good sustainable practices and telemedicine, with the help of Davivienda, DaviPlata and DoctorAkí.

All of the above strengthens the possibility for rural women in Colombia to quickly access the necessary resources to replenish supplies, restore their crops and continue with their work, as expressed by Luz Marleni, a coffee grower from Aguadas, Caldas “Safe Coffee is a safety net that allows us to grow coffee with more peace of mind.”

By September 2024, the insurer has 39,589 producers, linked through its parametric insurance, protecting 52,222 hectares, of which 16,075 are worked by rural women, This means that Seguros Bolívar currently has 12,719 women insured. This type of support and payments have managed to recover investments, supplies and reactivate crops.

Alejandra Diaz, director of sustainability at Bolivar Insurance – Davivienda.

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“We need to train ourselves more and learn, so that we can organize ourselves and achieve goals that benefit our crops and our families. As women, we have an important role on the farm. We know what is spent, what we have to invest in, the resources we have and what we need,” says Patricia Solarte, a coffee grower from the municipality of La Unión, Nariño, and a beneficiary of Café Seguro.