摘要：F ederal crop insurance programs have been an imponant pan of the U.S. agricultural policy landscape since the 1930s. For the most part, these programs provided producers with a means of protection against yield shortfalls occurring for any reason, including weather shocks, pest damages, and other factors affecting yields. Over most of their existence, these all-risk (multiple-peril) programs have been characterized by low panicipation and somewhat spotty actuarial performance. Between 1990 and 1997, U.S. federal budget outlays for crop insurance programs totaled about $8.9 billion (U.S. GAO).
