Bangladesh: Promoting Non-Tobacco Crops

Source from:  The New Nation 01/08/2009

The general belief that tobacco is a profitable crop is the principal reason for farmers taking to it. Once they begin, the hardship still does not convince farmers to switch to other crops, due both to lack of awareness and knowledge of cultivating other crops and inability to access loans and other services, including assistance in selling the crop. Through the aggressive activities of the tobacco companies, a farmer is "coaxed" to tobacco farming simply by watching his neighbour "graduate out of poverty" after cultivating this crop. Such a demonstration effect could be achieved for other crops as well. One possibility would be to grow food crops in school gardens and open spaces inside mosques and other public places, which could serve as demonstration plots. The output could be distributed among school children, or even to the destitute, as part of a supplementary feeding programme, thus combining programmes to encourage vegetable cultivation with alleviation of the most extreme poverty. When considering such an integrated approach to improve livelihood as well as decrease cultivation of tobacco, a further component could be considered, of introducing ecosanitation. Ecosanitation, by combining agriculture and sanitation, has the dual benefit of reducing diarrheal disease caused by poor sanitation, and improving access of poor farmers to nutrient-rich, safe fertiliser (GTZ). More access to fertilizer means higher yields, and less expense on fertiliser, which itself is produced through polluting chemical processes. Many existing institutions and organisations could be mobilised to promote such integrated programs, thereby simultaneously addressing multiple sources of poverty and ill-health, and ensuring that investments in helping poor farmers switch out of tobacco have multiple benefits to the farmers, their families, and the community. Enditem