Creating a Mutual Fund to financially support farmers in North-East Italy

Key Learnings

• Sharing risks and compensating for damage elsewhere: In a mutual fund, each member acts as both the insurer and the insured. By contributing a participation fee, members collectively share risks and support one another, helping to reduce costs in case of climate-and disease-related crop damage.
• Promoting good practices: To receive funding in case of damage, the farmers are required to follow the voluntary guidelines of “Good Agricultural Practices”.
• The “AKIS” system supports knowledge flows: The Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS) is a platform that connects individuals, organisations, and institutions involved in producing and using agricultural knowledge. By integrating diverse expertise, AKIS facilitates better adaptation to challenges and helps reduce financial risks.

Summary

Damage from plant diseases has increased significantly over the past twenty years. In response to these emerging threats, Agrifondo Mutualistico, supported by EU contributions, launched two mutual funds that work in synergy with crop insurance, representing the main agricultural sectors of the region: one for wine grapes and one for arable crops. Currently, the funds have over 10,000 members and provide coverage exceeding €1 billion. Between 2019 and 2024, Agrifondo collected approximately €8 million in participation fees from farmers, requested around €12 million in EU subsidies, and awarded €18 million in compensation. This approach goes beyond traditional insurance by fostering new behaviors among farmers, encouraging them to form networks to share knowledge and adopt innovative tools such as decision support systems and weather station networks. These systems promote good practices, including Integrated Pest Management, enhance resilience, protect incomes, and reduce the reliance on chemical treatments.

Contact

AGRIFONDO MUTUALISTICO VENETO E FRIULI VG

Director           Filippo Codato            Cell. +39 335 257137

Coordinator    Giuseppe Boatto        Cell. +39 334 3415647

segreteriaagrifondomutualistico [dot] it (segreteria[at]agrifondomutualistico[dot]it)