Webinar draws attention to consequences of tobacco growing in Africa

As a prelude to World No Tobacco Day on May 31, whose theme this year is "We need food, not tobacco", the African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA) and the National Committee against Tobacco (CNCT) held a webinar on May 23, 2023 on tobacco cultivation in Africa and its many economic, ecological and social consequences.

“We need food, not tobacco” ("We need food, not tobacco") is the motto of World No Tobacco Day on May 31, 2023[1]This is not only to point out that tobacco cultivation is at the expense of food self-sufficiency, but also to encourage tobacco growers to transfer their activity to other types of crops.

To explore these issues further, ATCA and CNCT organized a webinar on May 23, 2023, entitled “Let's Grow Food, Not Tobacco,” to take stock of the many problems posed by tobacco growing.

Tobacco growing is unprofitable, toxic and alienating

Among the speakers who participated in this webinar, hosted by Pascal Diethelm, vice-president of the CNCT:

• Leslie Rae Ferat, Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control (GATC), explained how tobacco farming is in conflict with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In particular, it is in conflict with Goals 2 (food security), 3 (health and well-being), 4 (quality education), 8 (economic development) and 15 (protection of ecosystems). It is also an obstacle to Article 17 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which encourages Parties to replace tobacco growing with economically viable solutions.
• Brenda Chitindi, chairperson of the Zambia Tobacco Control Alliance (ZTCA), spoke about the interference of tobacco companies with the Zambian government and the reassuring speeches on the profitability of tobacco growing. These companies are blackmailing tobacco farmers by making them captive in a system of loans and debt. Associations are meeting with these farmers to make them aware of the need to migrate to other types of crops.
• Inoussa Saouna Idi, President of SOS tabac Niger, for his part returned to a study establishing a link between poverty and smoking. By affecting the poorest, smoking diverts a significant portion of family income, to the detriment of spending on food, education and health. In addition, poor smokers do not have the means to treat the diseases caused by smoking and die young. Mr. Saouna Idi highlighted the problems of equality posed by smoking both on a social and international level, with tobacco manufacturers tending to internalize profits and externalize the costs generated by tobacco.

The webinar was moderated by Pascal Diethelm, President of Oxysuisse and Vice-President of the CNCT, who concluded the discussions by inviting reflection on international inequalities and on better international justice. He also encouraged participants from rich countries to put pressure on their governments to increase cooperation and develop aid to poor countries, the latter having no budget to finance the fight against tobacco in their countries.

This webinar was an opportunity to identify all the economic, social and environmental costs induced by tobacco growing, and to point out the responsibility of the tobacco industry in this global disaster. It also echoes the ATCA campaign entitled “Feed Africa, not Big Tobacco” (“Feed Africa, not the cigarette companies”), deployed since May 2023, which encourages governments to end subsidies for tobacco growing and encourage farmers to switch to more sustainable crops.

Read our analyses to learn more about the consequences of tobacco cultivation on the environment and on the economic development.

Keywords: ATCA, CNCT, Africa, tobacco cultivation, environment, inequalities.

M.F.

[1] WHO, World No Tobacco Day 2023: We need food, not tobacco, accessed May 22, 2023.