The Role of Index-Based Livestock Insurance in Enhancing Household Food Security among Pastoralists in Hadado Sub-County, Kenya
Tore Kipngetich Nelson
*
Department of AGEC, AGBM &AGED Chuka University, P.O. Box 109 – 60400, Chuka, Kenya.
James Muita Kinyua
Department of Animal Science, Chuka University, P.O. Box 109 – 60400, Chuka, Kenya.
Hezron Nyarindo Isaboke
Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, University of Embu, P.O. Box 6 – 60100, Embu, Kenya.
Samwel Macharia Chege
Department of Business Administration, Chuka University, P.O. Box 109 – 60400, Chuka, Kenya.
Jaret Kiprotich Cheruiyot
Department of AGEC, AGBM &AGED Chuka University, P.O. Box 109 – 60400, Chuka, Kenya.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Pastoralist households in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands face recurrent droughts and climate variability, which undermine livestock-based livelihoods and compromise food security. Index-Based Livestock Insurance (IBLI) has been promoted as an adaptation tool that provides payouts based on satellite-derived vegetation indices rather than direct household-level loss assessments. This study examines the role of IBLI in enhancing household food security in Hadado Sub-County, Wajir, Kenya. Primary data were collected from 286 randomly selected households using a semi-structured questionnaire, and Propensity Score Matching (PSM) was employed to estimate food security outcomes. The results show that IBLI participation significantly reduced reliance on less-preferred foods (ATT = 0.206, p < .05), indicating a protective effect on dietary quality during droughts. However, no significant impacts were observed on food run-outs (p = 0.46) or skipped meals (p = 0.30). Probit regression further revealed that household size (β = −0.043, p = 0.098) and age of the household head (β = −0.021, p = 0.105) were negatively associated with uptake, while gender was not statistically significant (β = −0.082, p = 0.618). Qualitative evidence indicated that payouts helped households avoid distress sales of livestock and purchase food, though basis risk and limited financial literacy constrained effectiveness.
These findings suggest that IBLI supports dietary diversity in drought-prone pastoral systems, but complementary measures such as financial literacy training, gender-sensitive programming, improved market connectivity, and emergency aid are needed to maximize its food security impacts.
Keywords: Index-based livestock insurance, food security, pastoralism, arid and semi-arid lands, Kenya, drought resilience, IBLI, dietary diversity, propensity score matching