Govt should facilitate tobacco farmers’ transition to other crops

Uganda addressed the issue of tobacco farming when it enacted the Tobacco Control Act and prohibited the involvement of minors from the life-threatening farming practices that tobacco does. The country’s parish model is in compliance with sections 19 and 23 of the Tobacco Control Act (TCA) of 2015, which prohibit the government from using taxpayers’ money to promote tobacco growing and require the government to support alternative livelihoods for tobacco farmers.

Whereas on February 27,  2022, President Yoweri Museveni launched the Parish Development Model (PDM) at Kibuku Primary School, Kibuku District in Bukedi Sub-region, The PDM  priority commodities that farmers can engage in include coffee, cotton, cocoa, cassava, tea, vegetable oils, maize, rice, sugar cane, fish, dairy, beef, bananas, beans, avocado, shea nut, cashew nuts, and macadamia (Ministry of Local Government, 2022).

Indeed in Section 19 of the TCA, the government has a duty to protect public health policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry.  Section 17 goes ahead to prohibit involving minors in any tobacco activity, which is a step in the right direction of keeping young persons from tobacco farms and keeping them safe for government to realise the needed human capital for development without which tobacco shall kill them with non communicable diseases. However, more needs to be done to ensure that farmers are not trapped in a vicious circle of debt, unable to get a fair price for their product.

The tobacco industry often fails to give farmers a fair price for their product, and farmers often fail to pay back the loan in full. This makes it very difficult for farmers to switch from tobacco to other crops.

With an estimated liquid beverage equivalent of around 85 liters per person, tea is the most consumed hot drink worldwide and indeed the most consumed non-alcoholic beverage overall being served for the purpose of both caffeinating and hydration. In recent years, there have been attempts to replicate the coffee trend towards upscale specialty products, but, so far, success has been limited. This trend ought to endear tobacco farmers to shift given demand on the market for tea.

According to the World Health Organisation, governments and policy makers should support tobacco farmers to switch to alternative, more sustainable livelihoods to reduce the environmental impact of tobacco growing, curing and manufacturing while continuing to implement tobacco control measures due to the following reasons:

Agrochemical use. Tobacco plants require heavy use of chemicals and fertilisers, which are known to deplete the soil and run off into water sources, contaminating drinking water. Often, plots of land used for growing tobacco may not be functional for growing other crops in off-seasons, as the soil fertility is depleted;

Deforestation and land degradation. Deforestation occurs as a means to clear land for growing tobacco, as well as to collect wood required for tobacco curing. Deforestation is one of the largest contributors to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and climate change, and also contributes to loss of biodiversity (including wildlife), land degradation and desertification.

Farmers’ livelihood and health: Farmers are exposed to a number of health risks, including the “green tobacco sickness”, which is caused by nicotine absorbed through the skin from the handling of wet tobacco leaves, exposure to heavy use of pesticides and exposure to tobacco dust. From a socio-economic perspective, farmers are often under contractual arrangements with the tobacco industry and are trapped in a vicious circle of debt, unable to get a fair price for their product. Tobacco farmers may also earn less than other farmers in the agricultural sector. Land that could have been used for other useful crops is often being used to grow tobacco.

Governments and policy makers should support tobacco farmers to switch to alternative, more sustainable livelihoods to reduce the environmental impact of tobacco farming. Tobacco plants require heavy use of chemicals and fertilizers, which are known to deplete the soil and run off into water sources, contaminating drinking water, according to the WHO regional Office of the East Mediterranean.

Contrary to protection from occupational hazards and employments rights, tobacco farmers are also exposed to a number of health risks, including the “green tobacco sickness,” which is caused by nicotine absorbed through the skin from the handling of wet tobacco leaves, exposure to heavy use of pesticides, and exposure to tobacco dust.

As government deploys PDM to provide seed money at the last end mile parish level, tobacco farmers can rediscover their full potential in other viable livelihood options. For this transition brings about not only economic benefits into the farmer’s households but also environmental protection and social responsibility to the community. With this positive step towards a sustainable future, we can look forward to a brighter tomorrow for the tobacco farmers and their families.                                                                                           Moses Talibita,                                  [email protected]