Parameters that Motivate Table Olive Farmers To Buy Agricultural Insurance: The Case of Western Turkey

Defining components that affect agricultural insurance contract decisions is indispensable to the sustainability of table olive cultivation in the region. The Akhisar district is located within the borders of Manisa province, a region in Turkey in which traditional, and the most famous, table olive varieties are grown. This study explores parameters that predict the decisions of farmers in this district to purchase agricultural insurance and identifies perceptions of agricultural insurance in the region. A survey was conducted among 121 purposefully selected farmers. Some farmers’ sociodemographic characteristics and their households were identified using basic descriptive statistics, such as arithmetic means and percentage rates, and factors that affect farmers’ decisions to buy agricultural insurance were defined using binary logistic regression. Although table olive farmers could insure their products against risk by buying full hail and frost packages within the scope of crop insurance, the desired success with agricultural insurance has not been achieved. Although the agricultural insurance that covers farmers who grow table olives remains insufficient, it still plays a role in patterns of agricultural production in the region, results in greater income than other agricultural products, and contributes to the government’s premiums for agricultural insurance. Future studies should expand insurance practices to improve farmers’ perceptions of agricultural insurance, especially regarding drought yield insurance for perennial fruit trees, including table olives.