Migori, Kenya – The world is confronted with a global food crisis fueled by conflict, climate change and the pandemic of coronavirus disease. A record 349 million people globally are facing acute food insecurity Meanwhile, tobacco is grown in over 124 countries, taking up 3.2 million hectares of fertile land that could be used to grow food, address food insecurity and nutrition challenges and help feed families. These resources are diverted to support the production of a crop that kills over 8 million people every year, erodes the economy and damages the environment

On World No Tobacco Day, May 31, 2023, the theme call is ‘We need food, NOT tobacco,’ a global campaign for raising awareness about alternative crop production and marketing opportunities for tobacco farmers. It is also a call to encourage farmers to grow sustainable, nutritious crops and expose the tobacco industry’s efforts to interfere with attempts to substitute tobacco growing with sustainable crops.

This year, Kenya is hosting the global commemoration of the World No Tobacco Day. Kenya was also the first country selected to roll out the Tobacco Free Farms project as a key player in the fight against the global tobacco epidemic. 

Over the last two years, we have seen long-time tobacco farmers switch to alternative crops, participate in training, and plant high-iron beans in fields where tobacco once grew. The project has seen farmers' health improve, increased school attendance from children previously working on the farms, and better crops for the environment replacing tobacco.
 Over 2000 farmers in Migori County, Kenya, have transitioned from the dangerous enterprise of tobacco farming and shifted to producing more sustainable crops, through the Tobacco-Free Farms Project, thanks to the support and collaboration of the WHO, WFP, FAO, MOH MOA and other partners.

” The government, and particularly the Ministry of Health, wholeheartedly supports the Tobacco Free Farms Project due to its prioritization of the health of Kenyans. By introducing iron-rich nyota beans, we aim to address the prevalent iron deficiency among women and children, thereby significantly improving their well-being,” Health Cabinet Secretary, Ms Susan Nakhumicha said.

Tobacco as a cash crop contributes less than 1% of Kenya’s GDP. Its farmers and their families are exposed to serious health risks through nicotine absorbed through the skin when handling wet tobacco leaves, exposure to heavy use of pesticides and to tobacco dust. Tobacco growing is also associated with increased gender inequality, deforestation, soil degradation, and contamination of water supplies. 

More than 6,000 Kenyans die of tobacco-related diseases every year (79 men and 37 women die per week). An estimated 220,000 children and 2,737,000 adults use tobacco each day in the country. Over one million deaths (from the 8 million-tobacco -related) are attributed to exposure to second-hand smoke.

Kenya was one of the first countries to ratify the legally binding WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in 2004 and has been a key player in implementing effective tobacco control measures. The Convention and the Kenya Tobacco Control Act promote economically viable alternatives to tobacco production as a way of preventing possible adverse social and economic impact on populations whose livelihoods depend on tobacco production. 

“We congratulate Kenya for its efforts to control tobacco and for leading in this transformative – Tobacco Free Farms initiative that is truly changing the lives of farmers and communities for better health,” WHO Country Representative, Dr Abdourahmane Diallo said.
“We also appreciate the strengthened partnership of the Ministry of Health, the WHO, the FCTC Secretariat and all the partners in the Tobacco Free Farms project for choosing Kenya and more specifically Migori County to implement this important global initiative,” he added. 

With the planned expansion of the Tobacco Free Farms Initiative, more farmers and families in other counties are expected to grow more food and less tobacco. This is a transformative path which will bring better health for families and support efforts for food security for communities and the country as a whole.