As November nears, the thoughts of many Pacific islanders turn to preparations for the South Pacific cyclone season. Are there matches and candles, batteries and bottled water in the house? Are the hurricane shutters in good condition?
But despite their best efforts, there is little that can be done to shield crops in the field from devastating visitors like Winston or Hal or Yasa.
In Fiji this year, a different kind of disaster preparedness is being trialled. A parametric insurance scheme is being piloted, with an eye to rolling out similar schemes in other Pacific Island nations.
Just 15% of Fijians have some form of insurance according to the recently-released Financial Services . . .
