Tobacco farmers fuel deforestation
by Elias Mambo

Zimbabwe Independant    Translate This Article
28 March 2014

On 28 March 2014 Zimbabwe Independant reported: A drive through Mashonaland Central province will shock any remotely environmentally-conscious person as vast stretches of forests have been left barren, risking denudation due to the massive cutting down of trees by small-scale tobacco farmers who use firewood to cure their tobacco. The number of small-scale tobacco growers has grown exponentially since the country's controversial land reform programme which saw thousands of subsistence farmers resettled on prime agrarian land formerly owned by white commercial farmers. The tobacco farmers find themselves in what could be a vicious cycle. While tobacco farming affords them the opportunity to increase household income in the short-term and rescue themselves from poverty, it is inextricably linked to serious degradation of the ecosystem, raising questions about the sustainability of their operations. Tobacco industry sources estimate there are now 47 000 small-scale (holders of A2 farms) tobacco farmers making up about 83 per cent of Zimbabwe's total tobacco farmers, most of whom joined the industry in the past two years. In 2004, there were only about 4 000 small-scale black farmers. The decline in the prices of cotton and other cash crops has drawn a large number of the farmers to tobacco farming which offers better returns. Global Good News service views this news as the failure of modern environment systems. Such 'flops' highlight the need for more intelligent, evolutionary, Natural Law based, life-supporting systems.

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Every day Global Good News documents the rise of a better quality of life dawning in the world and highlights the need for introducing Natural Law based—Total Knowledge based—programmes to bring the support of Nature to every individual, raise the quality of life of every society, and create a lasting state of world peace.

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