UK-funded pilot targets Climate Resilience for 1.2 Million Filipino fisherfolk

A new initiative led by Philippine agritechnology platform Mayani, in partnership with the Australian insurtech firm Hillridge Technology, is rolling out a “Dual-Resilience” model designed to protect smallholder fisherfolk from the increasing volatility of climate change. The project is funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) through the Frontier Tech Hub, an entity that has supported 108 innovative ideas across 44 countries since 2016 to test how technology can solve complex development challenges.

The pilot integrates market offtake arrangements with parametric insurance to stabilize incomes in one of the world’s most climate-exposed economies. It addresses a critical gap in the Philippine maritime sector, where approximately 1.2 million small-scale fisherfolk remain highly vulnerable to extreme weather. Despite typhoon-related losses reaching an estimated $94 million annually, only 2% of these workers currently have any form of risk transfer protection. A single week of high-wind events can eliminate 70% to 100% of a household’s income, a reality often compounded by weak market linkages and unpredictable pricing.

Unlike traditional indemnity insurance, which requires lengthy damage assessments, the parametric model developed with Hillridge uses satellite-derived data—including wind speed, wave height, and rainfall—to trigger automatic payouts when weather thresholds are crossed. This ensures that fisherfolk receive financial support immediately when conditions prevent them from going out to sea.

Nathan Kably, Programme Lead of the Frontier Tech Hub, explained that the pilot aims to bridge the gap between data and the actual hardships faced by fishing communities. “In this pilot, we are testing whether a marine weather index can reliably correlate with real lost fishing days, because parametric insurance only strengthens resilience if payouts genuinely reflect fisherfolk’s lived experience of climate disruption,” Kably said. He noted that the project is also assessing whether pairing this insurance with structured catch offtake models can reduce reliance on payouts alone. “Our goal is to build the evidence base the private sector needs: what level of risk reduction, cost savings, or revenue stability makes climate adaptation investable at scale?”

By providing more predictable demand and fairer pricing through Mayani’s platform – which currently supports over 10 million smallholders through its “whole-of-value-chain” approach – the models seeks to prevent the “negative coping activities” that often follow financial shocks. Ochie San Juan, Mayani’s Co-Founder and Chief Farmer, emphasized that income stability is a prerequisite for long-term adaptation. “We saw that smallholder income instability drives climate risk exposure and negative coping activities by our rural fisherfolk. Thus, Mayani is pushing for climate adaptation interventions that address the need for income predictability, not just timely climate information or post-disaster recovery support. Fundamentally, integrated financial and market mechanisms are crucial enablers of adaptive behavior,” San Juan said.

The initiative is part of a broader portfolio of three climate adaptation projects across the Philippines and Vietnam. In the Philippines, the project runs alongside a grant involving the international conservation organization Rare, known for its Fish Forever program which works with over 60 Philippine municipalities to improve fisheries management. This parallel effort includes the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and GCash, collectively aiming to create a scalable pathway for protecting climate-vulnerable livelihoods.