If you are interested in tobacco farming – or if you are a tobacco grower yourself –, you have probably heard a lot about tobacco growers' associations in your country or region. Some of them are really well-structured and have been around for decades.

Theoretically, they should always support tobacco farmers. But do they actually represent tobacco growers' interests? Or is this just another myth?

Our guest:

Dr. Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva – executive secretary of Brazil’s National Commission for the Implementation of the WHO FCTC (Conicq), former head of the Convention Secretariat, and member of the WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Articles 17 and 18.

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Unlocking the Tobacco Supply Chain is a podcast produced by the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Knowledge Hub for Articles 17 and 18, which is based in Brazil, in the Center for Studies on Tobacco and Health from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation.

The information and views set out on this podcast are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), the Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (the Protocol), or the Secretariat of the WHO FCTC and its Protocols.

China, India, and Brazil are the three largest tobacco producers worldwide. What do you think would happen to their economies if tobacco crops suddenly disappeared from their territories?

Today, we are discussing this topic with Dr. Jeffrey Drope, who has studied the economics of tobacco farming in many tobacco-growing countries.

Our guest:

Dr. Jeffrey Drope, a research professor in the health policy and administration division of the School of Public Health at University of Illinois Chicago.

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Visit our website: https://extranet.who.int/fctcapps/fctcapps/fctc/kh/alternativelivelihoods

***

Unlocking the Tobacco Supply Chain is a podcast produced by the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Knowledge Hub for Articles 17 and 18, which is based in Brazil, in the Center for Studies on Tobacco and Health from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation.

The information and views set out on this podcast are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), the Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (the Protocol), or the Secretariat of the WHO FCTC and its Protocols.

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In tobacco-growing regions, farmers usually have contracts with tobacco companies. Through these contracts, they are often trapped by the industry, and even indebted to it.

But, in many ways, the system makes it easier for farmers to grow tobacco than to switch to other crops. That is because they don’t have to worry about getting the inputs or technical assistance, and, perhaps most importantly, they have a ready-market for their products.

This is why so many tobacco farmers feel like it’s impossible for them to do anything else. 

But with adequate support, tobacco-growers actually can switch to other activities. 

Our guest:

Dr. Donald Makoka – research fellow in the Centre for Agricultural Research and Development, at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, in Malawi.

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Visit our website: https://extranet.who.int/fctcapps/fctcapps/fctc/kh/alternativelivelihoods

***

Unlocking the Tobacco Supply Chain is a podcast produced by the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Knowledge Hub for Articles 17 and 18, which is based in Brazil, in the Center for Studies on Tobacco and Health from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation.

The information and views set out on this podcast are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), the Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (the Protocol), or the Secretariat of the WHO FCTC and its Protocols.

The tobacco industry usually states that tobacco growing is very profitable for family farmers. But several studies have shown that, for the vast majority of those farmers, this is a myth.

In this episode, Dr. Raphael Lencucha will tell us why.

This episode has used audio from Sinditabaco and ITGA.

Our guest:

Dr. Raphael Lencucha – assistant professor in the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy at McGill University.

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Among the main myths associated with the WHO FCTC, perhaps the most widespread is the one that says that family farmers need to be protected *from* the Treaty: people and organizations linked to the tobacco industry usually claim that the Convention harms those farmers, because they depend on tobacco to make a living. 

Well, the Convention does assert the importance of lowering the supply of tobacco, and this is obviously linked to having less tobacco-growing areas. But it doesn’t mean that Parties can leave tobacco farmers unprotected. On the contrary, Article 17 of the WHO FCTC says that Parties need to promote economically viable alternatives to those people: governments need to support tobacco farmers so that they can switch to healthier and better activities.

Our guests:

Dr. Kelvin Khow – Programme Manager of the WHO FCTC Secretariat 

Dr. Léonce Sessou – Director of the African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA).

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Visit our website: https://extranet.who.int/fctcapps/fctcapps/fctc/kh/alternativelivelihoods

***

Unlocking the Tobacco Supply Chain is a podcast produced by the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Knowledge Hub for Articles 17 and 18, which is based in Brazil, in the Center for Studies on Tobacco and Health from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation.

The information and views set out on this podcast are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), the Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (the Protocol), or the Secretariat of the WHO FCTC and its Protocols.

Article 17 of the WHO FCTC focuses on the provision of support for economically viable activities for people involved with the tobacco supply chain. But there are some myths associated with this Article.

Some people and organizations linked to the tobacco industry say, for instance, that the Convention harms tobacco farmers because they depend on this activity – tobacco growing – to make a living.

This is our second season – “Tobacco Farming Mythbusters” –, and in the next episodes, we’ll talk to researchers who will help us debunk these and other myths.

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fctc.tobacco.environment

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FCTC.tobacco.environment

Visit our website: https://extranet.who.int/fctcapps/fctcapps/fctc/kh/alternativelivelihoods

***

Unlocking the Tobacco Supply Chain is a podcast produced by the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Knowledge Hub for Articles 17 and 18, which is based in Brazil, in the Center for Studies on Tobacco and Health from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation.

The information and views set out on this podcast are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), the Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (the Protocol), or the Secretariat of the WHO FCTC and its Protocols.

When you open the biggest tobacco companies’ websites on the internet, it seems like they have nothing to do with cigarettes or smoking. The websites are so bright and beautiful, and they talk about sustainability, science, fighting climate change, empowering people, building a better future… you can almost forget that those companies make products that kill 8 million people every year and that their supply chain is extremely harmful to the environment – from cradle to grave.

Those companies use several strategies to try to hide all the damage they cause. And it’s not just about their websites: they promote programs against child labor and cleanup campaigns to collect cigarette butts from beaches, for instance. But those initiatives never truly solve the problems. 

In this episode, Dr. Stella Bialous tells us all about Corporate Social Responsibility in the tobacco industry. 

Our guest:

Dr. Stella Bialous – professor and researcher at the Center for Tobacco Control at the University of California San Francisco

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/FCTC_KH_FIOCRUZ

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fctc.tobacco.environment

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FCTC.tobacco.environment

Visit our website: https://extranet.who.int/fctcapps/fctcapps/fctc/kh/alternativelivelihoods

***

Unlocking the Tobacco Supply Chain is a podcast produced by the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Knowledge Hub for Articles 17 and 18, which is based in Brazil, in the Center for Studies on Tobacco and Health from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation.

The information and views set out on this podcast are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), the Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (the Protocol), or the Secretariat of the WHO FCTC and its Protocols.

When people litter cigarette buts, they hardly ever think of it as a big issue. Cigarette butts are so tiny, aren’t they? What harm can they possibly bring? Aren’t they biodegradable? Maybe they shouldn’t even be considered litter…

Well, actually, cigarette butts do cause serious environmental problems: they are not biodegradable and contain toxic chemicals. They contaminate soil and water, and are extremely harmful to sea life. E-cigarettes are not a better option: they produce both plastic and electronic waste.

In today’s episode, Dr. Karen Evans-Reeves will tell us about the environmental impacts caused by the tobacco industry after its products are consumed. She is a research fellow within the Department for Health at the University of Bath and has been researching the tobacco industry for the last 10 years.

This episode has used audio from CBC News, National Geographic, TV6, CTV, and 13News.

Our guest:

Dr. Karen Evans-Reeves – research fellow within the Department for Health at the University of Bath

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/FCTC_KH_FIOCRUZ

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fctc.tobacco.environment

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FCTC.tobacco.environment

Visit our website: https://extranet.who.int/fctcapps/fctcapps/fctc/kh/alternativelivelihoods

***

Unlocking the Tobacco Supply Chain is a podcast produced by the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Knowledge Hub for Articles 17 and 18, which is based in Brazil, in the Center for Studies on Tobacco and Health from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation.

The information and views set out on this podcast are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), the Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (the Protocol), or the Secretariat of the WHO FCTC and its Protocols.