By Kazeem Akolawole
The World Health Organization (WHO) has linked the global food insecurity affecting many parts of Africa to the increasing cultivation of tobacco.
The Country Representative, WHO, Dr. Walter Moulombo disclosed this in his in a message made available to Africa Health Report, AHR, to commemorate the 2023 World No Tobacco Day in Abuja, tagged: “We Need Food: Not Tobacco,” Moulombo said tobacco kills half of its users and is responsible for more than 8 million deaths annually.
“Firstly, every year, more than 3.5 million hectares of land are used to cultivate tobacco globally. This has contributed to deforestation of 200, 000 hectares per year. Secondly, tobacco growing entails a lot of resources including requiring the heavy use of pesticides and fertilizers, which contribute to soil degradation.
“Thirdly, since tobacco depletes soil fertility, land used for growing tobacco has a lower capacity for growing other crops, especially food crops. In addition, 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.
“In the long term, these contribute significantly to climate change and damage the ecosystem,” he said.
He called on governments and policymakers to develop and implement policies and strategies as well as provide enabling market conditions for tobacco farmers to move to grow food crops that would provide them and their families a better life.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Engr. Olufunsho Adebiyi explained that the theme for this year’s campaign which is, “We Need Food, Not Tobacco” seeks to raise awareness about alternative crop production, marketing opportunities for tobacco farmers, and encourage these farmers to grow sustainable, nutritious crops.
According to him, the day also aims to expose the tobacco industry’s efforts which are known to contribute to the global food crisis through interference with the government’s laudable policies that are geared at promoting viable, profitable, and sustainable alternatives to tobacco growing.
“Although Nigeria is not a major producer of tobacco leaf in the world, the 2022 data from the Food and Agriculture Organization show that in the African Region, Nigeria ranks 9th position with an estimated 9,150 hectares of land used for tobacco farming.
“The reported tobacco farming states in Nigeria were Osun, Oyo, Kwara, and Sokoto States while, and the top 8 leading tobacco growing countries in Africa are Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, and Zambia.
Also, the Director of Public Health, Dr. Morenikeji Alex Okoh said, this year’s global campaign specifically aims to raise public awareness of the need to embrace the cultivation of sustainable and nutritious crops in place of tobacco.
“The 2023 campaign also sought to discourage governments at all levels from providing incentives and subsidies for tobacco cultivation but rather to plow back these subsidies to support farmers to switch to more sustainable crops that improve food security,” She added.
