18/05/2026
On 18 May 2026, the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (DARE), Kasetsart University, in collaboration with the Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE), Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, hosted a hybrid seminar at the OAE on “Impacts of innovative credit and insurance products for marginalized farmers: Evidence from a randomized experiment in Odisha, India.” The presentation was delivered by Associate Professor Patrick Ward (UF IFAS, Food and Resource Economics), who shared experimental findings on how tailored financial products affect welfare and risk management for smallholder farmers.
The seminar was opened by Dr. Kanjana Kwanmuang, Deputy Secretary General of OAE, and Dr. Orachos Napasintuwong, Deputy Head of DARE’s Department of International Affairs. The event drew 52 OAE personnel and 27 representatives from relevant government agencies, state enterprises, and the private sector—including the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), the Office of the Insurance Commission, the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), and the Puey Ungphakorn Economic Research Institute—alongside graduate students from Kasetsart University.
Discussion was active and wide-ranging, with participants exchanging implementation experiences and identifying research gaps relevant to Thailand and other Asian countries. Attendees highlighted opportunities for adapting and testing similar bundled credit + picture-based insurance product domestically, suggesting clear avenues for future collaborative and policy-oriented research.