An analysis of the effective factors on the process of farmers' decision making in agricultural insurance and their attitudes towards risk in amasya province

The aim of this study was to analyse the efective factors in the process of farmers' decision making in agricultural insurance in Amasya province. While determining these factors considering the support policy for agricultural insurance, the effects of the variables that have economic characteristic on farmers' decision making were also analysed. This research was carried out with 384 farmers in 40 villages where agricultural products were mostly insured. 192 of these 384 farmers had agricultural insurance but the other 192 didn't. The data was collected by survey method and chi square test and logistic regession was used to analyse the data otained. The results of the analyses indicate that the farmers' most important reasons not to insure their agricultural products were 28.65% relegious reasons, 19.27% insufficient and irregular income, 16.15% disbelieving in getting paid for damages and 14.06% insurance charges height. And also the risk factors the farmers worry mostly are 51.56% climate (hail, flood etc.), 24.22% illness and harmful, 11.98% the quality of seed, fertilizer, food and the most important risks they have are 73.44% frost, 11.98% hail, 10.94% drought. According to the logistic regression analysis, it was found that the circumstance of insuring agricultural products was effected positively by the case of non-agricultural income, the source of the learning the innovations, the factors which encourage to accept the developments, the frequency of listening radio and reading newspapers and the problems that are faced in agricultural insurance. According to the research results that the farmers are informed about agriculture insurance, education and publication practices based upon agriculture insurance are done, the scope of the agriculture insurance is extended, the amount of the insurance charge is decreased, the quality of expert services is increased and taking out agriculture insurance policy is the pre-condition to be a member of the cooperative/farmers' associations is thought to effect their the farmers' decision of taking out an agriculture insurance positively.