WHO

Tobacco-Free Farms

349 million

people facing food insecurity

124 countries

growing tobacco

3.2 million

hectares of fertile land used to grow tobacco instead of food

Tobacco-Free Farms is a joint UN initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO), along with the World Food Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), supported by the Secretariat to WHO FCTC and other UN Partners and in collaboration with Ministries of Health and Agriculture.

The initiative supports countries in creating an enabling and supportive crop production and marketing ecosystem to help farmers shift from tobacco growing to alternative livelihoods. This support enables farmers to stop tobacco-growing contractual agreements and switch to alternative food crops that will help feed communities instead of harming their health, with confidence that a long-term market exists.

The challenge

Tobacco growing compounds the food security and nutrition issues faced by low- and middle-income countries.

WHO is supporting tobacco farmers to shift to alternative livelihoods

The initiative creates enabling environments for shifting from tobacco growing to alternative crops.

Key observations of tobacco production and trade in Africa

As regulations tighten in middle- and high- income countries, tobacco companies are increasingly targeting African countries to scale-up tobacco leaf production.

Farmer testimonials

Reginald Omulo

"When we look at the input costs and the labour involved compared to the price that we receive, beans are much more profitable".

Watch Reginald Omulo's testimonial

A woman working the the fields - in Kenya

Alice Achieng Obare

"My chest is full of smoke (damage from tobacco farming). I can't carry heavy items, and I can't walk for long distances. But for beans farming, there is no stress."

Watch Alice Achieng Obare's testimonial

Country profiles

Country profiles present selected data, statistics and information to provide national health profiles at given points in time.