WHO recommends switching to other crops instead of tobacco

Tobacco farmers in the Philippines. (Photo: Phil Star)

The number of people facing food insecurity has increased from 135 million in 2019 to 349 million today, a record high, said Ruediger Krech, director of health promotion at the World Health Organization (WHO).

WHO is working with other organizations to develop a program to help people pay off debts and switch to tobacco farming. The program has been implemented in Kenya, where more than 2,000 farmers have received assistance this year.

A global food crisis is escalating due to conflict, climate change. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the aftermath of the war in Ukraine has caused the price of food, fuel and fertilizer to increase.

Tobacco is currently grown as a cash crop in over 125 countries, with an estimated total area of 4 million hectares, larger than the size of Rwanda. The environmental impact of tobacco farming is particularly pronounced in low- and middle-income countries.

WHO recommends switching to other crops instead of tobacco - Photo 1.

Growing food crops is more profitable than growing tobacco, contributing to the response to food insecurity. (Photo: WHO)

Thousands of hectares of forest have been destroyed to make room for tobacco production. Clearing land for tobacco cultivation contributes to 5% of global deforestation and depletes more essential nutrients from the soil than other crops. The use of chemical pesticides in tobacco cultivation contaminates soil and water supplies. Agricultural land dedicated to tobacco also deprives the land of the opportunity to grow food.

In many countries that depend on tobacco production and production, livelihood issues often become an obstacle to implementing effective tobacco control measures. Farmers are often bound by contractual agreements with the tobacco industry and are trapped in a vicious cycle of debt. The tobacco industry provides farmers with the seeds and other materials needed to grow tobacco and then takes the cost out of their income, making it very difficult for growers to quit. In addition, the tobacco industry often fails to provide farmers with a fair price for their product. As a result, tobacco farmers do not earn enough and remain in debt.

A World Bank study found that tobacco farmers in Indonesia are investing more money in the crop than they are earning from it. Tobacco farmers have found that growing staple crops such as corn, vegetables and sweet potatoes is more profitable than growing tobacco.

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