Finanse, Rynki Finansowe, Ubezpieczenia

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to highlight some issues (mainly, financial and organizational) related to disaster (catastrophic) risk management in agriculture. The research objectives include 1) an attempt to systematize the theoretical approach for catastrophic risk management in agriculture, 2) to review instruments used in developed countries (OECD), with a particular emphasis on disaster risk management instruments in Polish agricultural sector. A particular attention was paid to an evolution of EU law (in the framework of the Common Agricultural Policy) and national legislation relating to this type of risk. Design/methodology/approach – Elements of literature review, the documentary method, the comparative method (overview of the solutions catastrophic risk management instruments) have been used. Sources of research data were statistics of the OECD and the system of FADN (Farm Accountancy Data Network – a European system of data collection of farm accountancy) that is responsible for collecting economic and financial data on commodity farms Findings – Catastrophic risk management in the agricultural sector requires consideration of an interdisciplinary approach. It is recommended to balance between use of ex ante and ex post instruments, taking into account the fact that the degree of financial intervention in the agricultural sector may decline. More and more important issue of the sustainability of public finance should be underlined. Originality/value – The paper contributes to the discussion on the development of instruments of in-catastrophic risk management in the agricultural sector.