Evaluation of Crop Insurance Awareness Among Farmers in Kwara State

Agricultural crop insurance is a risk management tool designed to protect farming households against income losses from weather events, pests, and disease outbreaks. In Kwara State, in Nigeria's North Central geopolitical zone, where rainfall variability frequently disrupts crop production, awareness and adoption of crop insurance remain critically low. This study evaluates the level of crop insurance awareness among farmers in Kwara State and identifies barriers to adoption. Using a structured questionnaire, data were collected from 140 crop farmers sampled across four local government areas. Awareness was assessed using a standardised index covering knowledge of insurance products, premium structures, claims processes, and insuring institutions. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were applied. Results reveal that only 22 percent of respondents were aware of any formal crop insurance product, and of these, fewer than 5 percent had ever purchased a policy. Awareness was significantly associated with proximity to urban centres, formal education beyond primary level, and membership in farmer organisations that had hosted insurance awareness programmes. Many respondents expressed willingness to insure their crops if premium costs were affordable and claims payment timelines were shorter. The study recommends a structured insurance literacy campaign by the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation in Kwara State, delivered through agricultural development programme field agents and local radio broadcasts in Yoruba and Nupe languages. Keywords: crop insurance, awareness, Kwara State, risk management, smallholder farmers