BACKGROUND: After harvest, tobacco leaves are dried (cured). Virginia, one of the three major types of leaf used in cigarettes, is typically cured in barns with heated pipes (flues). The production of Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) is particularly hazardous to human health and the environment. Little academic literature has evaluated FCV or the current options in play for reducing its harmfulness.
METHODS: We used a case study approach, focusing on Zimbabwe which is the third largest producer of FCV globally. The two data sources for this study were (a) fieldwork in Zimbabwe comprising interviews (n=10) and focus group discussions (n=2) with smallholder farmers, and key informant interviews (n=11) with other stakeholders, and (b) tobacco industry material comprising two tobacco company Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) reports and relevant articles of Tobacco Journal International 2018-2024, an industry journal. Data collection focused on a) impact of flue-curing b) solutions to the issues it poses. Additional subthemes were identified inductively.
RESULTS: Apart from ‘Big Tobacco’, most other players recognised the impact of FCV on deforestation in Zimbabwe. Nevertheless, tobacco farmers stated they would struggle to replace the benefits from flue cured tobacco, since at present there are no equally lucrative alternative crops. Smallholder farmers hoped that the government and industry would innovate (although it was unclear how) whereas other stakeholders were pressurising the farmers themselves to reduce deforestation. Buyer-instigated fuel efficiency measures were patchy. Provision of tree seedlings to farmers so they could reforest had been largely unsuccessful, while alternative curing fuels were largely inappropriate or in early development in the Zimbabwean context.
CONCLUSIONS: Governments should consider banning flue cured tobacco as an ingredient in cigarettes to protect health and the environment. At the same time tobacco farmers need to be supported to transition to a more sustainable livelihood.