Every May 31 , World No Tobacco Day is celebrated , a date established by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1987, with the purpose of raising awareness about the global tobacco epidemic and its serious consequences, since its consumption - in cigarettes and other presentations – is one of the main causes of non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and chronic respiratory conditions.
In the 2023 motto, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) , a subsidiary of the WHO, gave a strong message: “Let’s grow food, not tobacco . ” And among his arguments, he outlines that this type of plantations “is harmful to our health, that of farmers and that of the planet.”
“The tobacco industry interferes in attempts to substitute tobacco cultivation, thereby contributing to the global food crisis,” says PAHO and, along these lines, launched a campaign that aims to encourage governments to put an end to subsidies for tobacco cultivation and use the saved resources to help farmers “switch to more sustainable crops that improve food security and nutrition.”
Other objectives of the campaign are:
• Raise awareness among communities dedicated to tobacco cultivation about the advantages of abandoning tobacco and dedicating themselves to sustainable crops;
•Support the fight against desertification and environmental degradation by reducing tobacco cultivation;
• Denounce industry moves to hinder work toward sustainable livelihoods.
The key variable to measure the success of the campaign would be the number of governments that commit to ending subsidies for tobacco cultivation.
Context, numbers and frequently asked questions
There are 349 million people in the world in 79 countries facing acute food insecurity, an unprecedented number . Many of those people reside in low- and middle-income countries, and more than 30 of those countries are on the African continent. Another characteristic that many of these countries share is that they allocate large areas of fertile land to growing tobacco, instead of allocating them to producing healthy food.
Tobacco-producing countries often face negative economic repercussions due to the health, environmental and social harm caused by the cultivation of this product. In many cases, foreign exchange earned through tobacco exports is used to import food.
Furthermore, tobacco cultivation deteriorates the health of farmers and farm workers , and causes the irreversible loss of valuable environmental resources, such as water sources, forests, plants and animal species.
Where and how is tobacco grown?
There are more than 124 countries that produce tobacco as a commercial crop, and they allocate an estimated 3.2 million hectares of fertile land to this activity.
The three main tobacco leaf producers (China, Brazil and India, in order of production) concentrate more than 60% of world production. As regulations in middle- and high-income countries tighten, tobacco companies are increasingly turning to African countries to increase production.
How does tobacco cultivation deteriorate the health of farmers and their families?
- Tobacco disease in green . One in four of these farmers suffers from green tobacco disease, which consists of nicotine poisoning. This condition is caused by the absorption of nicotine through the skin during handling of tobacco leaves. It causes symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headaches, increased sweating, chills, abdominal pain, diarrhea, weakness and dyspnea, among others.
-Exposure to heavy chemicals and nicotine. Tobacco farmers are exposed every day to the dust released by this product and to chemical pesticides. A farmer who plants, grows and harvests tobacco can absorb nicotine equivalent to 50 cigarettes daily. Furthermore, these farmers routinely carry harmful substances into their homes through their bodies, clothing or footwear, subjecting their family members, especially children, to harmful secondary exposures.
-Chronic lung conditions. On the other hand, tobacco farmers inhale large amounts of tobacco smoke during the curing process, which increases the risk of chronic lung conditions and other health problems.
- Vulnerable populations especially exposed to risks. It is common for the tobacco sector workforce to be made up mainly of women and children. Consequently, they are also the ones who are most affected by the health risks derived from the handling of green tobacco leaves and heavy chemicals, as well as exposure to tobacco smoke generated by the curing process. Children are especially vulnerable to these risks, given the ratio between their body weight and the amount of nicotine they absorb through the skin. Pregnant women are also disproportionately affected by the harmful effects of tobacco farming and are at increased risk of abortion. People who roll bidis (hand-rolled cigarettes), especially women and children, inhale the tobacco dust they are exposed to when storing it at home or while rolling, causing respiratory illnesses and other health problems. health.
How does tobacco cultivation damage the environment?
-Intensive use of pesticides . Tobacco cultivation consumes many resources and requires intensive use of pesticides and fertilizers, products that contribute to soil degradation. These chemical substances reach the aquatic environment, contaminating lakes, rivers and drinking water. Land that is dedicated to growing tobacco loses the capacity to later produce other crops, including food crops, since tobacco drastically reduces soil fertility.
-Deforestation. Tobacco cultivation causes around 5% of total deforestation, and therefore also contributes to CO2 emissions and climate change. To increase the area for growing tobacco, it is necessary to cut down the trees and clear the land. Approximately, it takes one tree to produce 300 cigarettes. All of this causes desertification and hunger, since in some of these regions there is little fertile land suitable for growing food. Every year around 200,000 hectares of land are cleared for growing and curing tobacco, equivalent to almost half the area of Cape Verde (403,000 hectares).
-Biodiversity loss. Tobacco cultivation favors habitat fragmentation, since, by partially destroying it, it is reduced to smaller, disconnected areas, which can deteriorate ecosystems and contribute to the loss of biodiversity. Tobacco cultivation is also associated with land degradation or desertification in the form of soil erosion, reduced soil fertility and productivity, and altered water cycles. Leaching of chemicals into nearby water sources kills fish and affects people and animals, including livestock, that use these waters for domestic and drinking purposes.
What is the tobacco industry doing to make it difficult for farmers to switch to other crops?
Trapping farmers in a cycle of debt. The tobacco industry keeps farmers in a dependent relationship by offering them incentives. Such incentives may take the form, for example, of loans or of supplies needed to grow tobacco, such as seeds and agrochemicals. Often, the contractual arrangements farmers reach with the tobacco industry prevent them from selling their product at an equitable price, leaving them trapped in a vicious cycle of debt. Tobacco companies are able to carry out these practices because farmers do not have access to rural credit.
What is the WHO doing?
Tobacco-Free Farms is a joint initiative launched in Kenya by the World Health Organization, the World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in collaboration with the Ministries of Health and Agriculture. The aim is to create a conducive and favorable crop production and marketing ecosystem so that farmers can replace tobacco cultivation with other means of subsistence. About 1,500 farmers have switched to growing high-iron beans, but there are other good alternatives to tobacco, such as sorghum, millet and sweet potatoes.
