The target audience of this book is all those interestedto know how agricultural insurance plays a role in improving the livelihoods of the rural poor. It is written for a reader who has no prior knowledge of insurance. The principles of insurance are introduced, agricultural microinsurance case studies are evidenced, and an analysis of the successes, failures and challenges of providing agricultural microinsurance in practice is undertaken. There is also a comprehensive literature survey to establish what kinds of agricultural microinsurance products exist worldwide, and how they function.