Grow Food, Not Tobacco

“Globally, tobacco consumption causes 8 million deaths each year, 1 million of which occurs in The Americas. It is the main cause of preventable death in the world.”- Dr. Jarbas Barbosa- PAHO Director. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) states that 349 million people across 79 countries are facing acute food insecurity, many are in low- and middle-income countries. Interestingly, over 30 of these countries are on the African continent. Unfortunately, many of these countries use large areas of fertile land to grow tobacco rather than healthy food. Tobacco growing countries often face a negative economic impact due to the adverse health, environmental and social impacts of growing tobacco. In many cases, foreign exchange earned from tobacco exports is used to import food. Growing tobacco causes ill health among farmers and farm workers and irreversible environmental loss of precious resources such as water sources, forests, plants and animal species. World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is observed around the world each year on 31 May. The day is set aside to inform the public about the dangers of using tobacco. This year’s theme is “Grow food, not tobacco”. The 2023 global campaign aims to raise awareness about alternative crop production and marketing opportunities for tobacco farmers and encourage them to grow sustainable, nutritious crops. WNTD also aims to expose the tobacco industry’s efforts to interfere with attempts to substitute tobacco growing with sustainable crops, thereby contributing to the global food crisis.

Tobacco Growing Impacting Food Security. The more we cultivate tobacco using prime agricultural lands the less food we will have. The World Health Organization (WHO) comments that the growing food crisis is driven by conflicts and wars, climatic shocks, and the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Structural causes like the choice of crop also have an impact, and a look into tobacco growing reveals how it contributes to increased food insecurity: Across the globe around 3.5 million hectares of land are converted for tobacco growing each year. Growing tobacco also contributes to deforestation of 200 000 hectares a year. Tobacco growing is resource intensive and requires heavy use of pesticides and fertilizers, which contribute to soil degradation. Land used for growing tobacco then has a lower capacity for growing other crops, such as food, since tobacco depletes soil fertility. Compared with other agricultural activities such as maize growing and even livestock grazing, tobacco farming has a far more destructive impact on ecosystems as tobacco farmlands are more prone to desertification. Tobacco growing harms our health, the health of farmers and the planet’s health. The tobacco industry interferes with attempts to substitute tobacco growing, contributing to the global food crisis. This campaign encourages governments to end tobacco growing subsidies and use the savings to support farmers to switch to more sustainable crops that improve food security and nutrition. Fostering Alternative Livelihoods . The reality is for many decades farmers in some geographical areas have been farming tobacco throughout generation after generation. Habits do not change overnight and as a result a conversation must begin with all the stakeholders of the tobacco industry in order to envision a new reality regarding livelihoods. The tobacco industry often touts itself as an advocate for the livelihood of tobacco farmers. This is a far cry from the truth. The intensive handling of insecticides and toxic chemicals during the cultivation of tobacco contributes to many farmers and their families suffering from ill health. Additionally, unfair contractual arrangements with tobacco companies keep farmers impoverished, and the child labour that is often woven into tobacco cultivation interferes with the right to education and is a violation of human rights. There is an urgent need to take legal measures to reduce tobacco growing and help farmers to move into the production of alternative food crops. Tobacco Use in CARICOM. The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) highlights that cigarette smoking is the main form of tobacco use, and men are far more likely to use cigarettes than Caribbean women. The prevalence of current tobacco smoking ranges from 13.3% in Barbados to 23% in Guyana for adult males and from 7.7% in Barbados to 12.6% in Guyana for adult women. The non-Latin Caribbean has the second highest prevalence of tobacco use among 13-15 years olds (14.4%) in the Americas that ranges from 7.5% in Antigua and Barbuda to 25.3% in Dominica. In Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago adolescents use more e-cigarettes than conventional cigarettes. CARPHA adds that CARICOM countries have signed on to the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC), and most have also ratified the FCTC. The countries are obliged to implement the articles of the convention. This includes enacting national legislation to ensure smoke-free work and public spaces; eliminating illicit trade; banning advertising, promotion and sponsorship; banning sales of tobacco to minors; health warnings on tobacco packages; and increasing tobacco taxation. However, implementation and progress have been slow in some countries. Although there is a CARICOM standard for the use of graphic health warnings on tobacco products, it has not been implemented in all Member States. Jamaica and Tobacco Products. The Ministry of Health and Wellness states that many people are not fully aware of, misunderstand or underestimate the risks for morbidity and premature mortality due to tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke. Graphic health warnings and messages on tobacco product packages have been shown to be a cost ¬effective means to increase public awareness of the health effects of tobacco use and to be effective in reducing tobacco consumption. Effective health warnings and messages, and other tobacco product packaging and labelling measures are key components of a comprehensive, integrated approach to tobacco control. Consequently, the Public Health (Tobacco Control) Regulations, 2013 includes specific requirements for the packaging and labelling of tobacco products in Jamaica. In particular, it requires the inclusion of graphic health warnings covering at least 60% of the principal display surfaces of on tobacco product packaging. The WHO argues that, the 2023 WNTD campaign calls on governments and policy-makers to step up legislation, develop suitable policies and strategies, and enable market conditions for tobacco farmers to shift to growing food crops that would provide them and their families with a better life. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control offers specific principles and policy options on the promotion of economically viable alternatives for tobacco workers, growers and individual sellers in order to protect the environment and health of people. As we celebrate World No Tobacco Day we must all join in a collective voice to advocate that we grow food and not tobacco. In the words of Dr. Joy St. John, Executive Director at the Caribbean Public Health Agency, it is important that we educate children and adolescents about the harms of nicotine and tobacco product use. We must work to prevent future generations from seeing such products as ‘normal’. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #WorldNoTobaccoDay #GrowFoodNotTobacco #WNTD