PartnerRe partners with Farmers Edge on new agricultural deal
PartnerRe has signed an agreement with agricultural information and management specialist Farmers Edge that it claims will help insurers to close the insurance gap among farmers all over the world.
The four-year agreement between the two brings together precision farming technology and agriculture insurance in what PartnerRe described as a landmark deal that will fundamentally advance the $5 trillion global food and agriculture industry.
The deal will involve PartnerRe and Farmers Edge jointly developing new agriculture insurance products in main crop growing areas worldwide, aimed at addressing the specific needs and challenges of farmers.
The partners said that the insurance product, with integrated precision-farming capabilities, will improve the efficiency and sustainability of farmers operations, and will enable them to obtain insurance, which is customised to their individual needs and parameters. Insurers will also benefit from a more efficient loss adjustment process.
The Farmers Edge platform is a comprehensive turnkey system that includes: Variable Rate Technology, soil sampling and analysis, field-centric weather monitoring, in-field telematics and data transfer, daily satellite imagery, data analytics, predictive modelling, access to integrated farm management platform and real boots on the ground. Leading the development and application of new technologies on the farm, Farmers Edge allows farmers to collect, store and transfer data, enabling them to make advanced management decisions and measure results.
“At PartnerRe, we are committed to finding innovative ways to create relevant and impactful reinsurance solutions that support our clients’ business goals,” said Emmanuel Clarke, president and chief executive officer of PartnerRe. “We are delighted to be at the forefront of this exciting and innovative new initiative with Farmers Edge and look forward to partnering with our insurance clients to bring it to market.”
“This first-of-a-kind deal with PartnerRe will have a tremendous impact on farmers as they will gain greater, customised insurance options based on better, more accurate data and simultaneously open up new financing options farmers need to grow their businesses,” said Wade Barnes, president and CEO of Farmers Edge. “Through this partnership, Farmers Edge is making digital agronomy a reality and empowering farmers all over the globe with data-driven insights so they can maximise crop yields, make better decisions and secure tailor made insurance solutions that make sense for their market.”
Rinat Bektleuov, head of agriculture at PartnerRe, said, “In recent years, precision farming has moved from a niche business to the mainstream as a stand-alone agritech industry, with great potential to become the new standard in crop production in the mid to long term.
“By marrying cutting edge technology with insurance market expertise, insurers will have a unique opportunity to get closer to their customers in terms of risk selection, product design, crop growth monitoring and claims adjustment – to create very tailored solutions that meet each farmer’s specific needs.”
