The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) Knowledge Hub for Articles 17 and 18 – housed at the Center for Studies on Tobacco or Health of the Sérgio Arouca National School of Public Health (CETAB/Fiocruz), launched, this Monday (29), a campaign that addresses the promotion of alternatives for tobacco workers: “The world needs food, not tobacco”.

The campaign features social media cards available in eight languages (English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish). They can be downloaded on this link.

The launch is part of the World No Tobacco Day activities, promoted annually on May 31st by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners. This year, the WHO is calling on governments to end subsidies for tobacco cultivation and support farmers in the transition to sustainable crops that improve food security.

In addition to generating a product that kills about 8 million people a year, tobacco growing harms the environment and the health of workers. It is  linked to deforestation, soil erosion, and air and water pollution. Farmers are at increased risk of health problems, both from exposure to pesticides and from the Tobacco Green Sickness, caused by the dermal absorption of nicotine of wet green leaves.

But many farmers find it difficult to switch to other crops. In general, they are trapped in the tobacco industry by debts contracted for the purchase of equipment, seeds and inputs. Furthermore, in tobacco producing regions, common sense says that there are no viable alternatives. "This is not true. Experiences in several countries show that there are sustainable and profitable crops that can replace tobacco. But public policies are needed to support tobacco growers during this transition”, says Marcelo Moreno, Knowledge Hub coordinator and CETAB researcher.

The Framework Convention has a specific article aimed at this: article 17, which calls on Parties to promote economically viable alternatives for tobacco workers. “Unfortunately, this is one of the Treaty articles with the lowest implementation. The campaign is important to highlight this subject among Parties, especially those that produce tobacco,” explains Raquel Gurgel, the Knowledge Hub journalist.

The Knowledge Hub periodically publishes information on the subject on its social media (Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook) and on its website, as well as in the Unlocking the Tobacco Supply Chain podcast.

For more information, contact the Knowledge Hub at kh.cetab@fiocruz.br.