2. Study Framework
WHO Framework Convention
on Tobacco Control (FCTC)
articles 17-18
Kenya is a party to WHO-FCTC
Article 17: Provision of support for
economically viable alternative
activities
Article 18: Protection of the
environment and the health of
persons 2
3. The Kenya Government
Tobacco Control Act, 2007
• Part III 13. (1) The Minister for Agriculture
should put in place policies to promote,
as appropriate, economically viable and
sustainable alternatives for tobacco
growers, workers, distributors, retailers
and individual sellers
3
4. Main Objective of the Research Project
(2006-2012/14- 8years)
To experiment on the potential of
bamboo as an alternative crop and
livelihood diversification strategy to
tobacco smallholder farmers
5. 5
Research Methods/ Approach
• Household Surveys
• Farm trials of bamboo seedlings- 4,000
• Capacity building/ trainings/ field visits/
demonstrations/ extension services
• Provision of inputs and information /
on bamboo production and marketing
7. Number of tobacco farmers in Kenya
7
REGION NO. OF CONTRACTED
FARMERS
NO. OF
INDEPENDENT
FARMERS
TOTAL
NYANZA 10,203 7,131 17,334 (31.4%)
WESTERN 13,405 10,629 24,034 (43.6%)
EASTERN 4,188 9,576 13,764(25.0%)
TOTAL 27,796 (50.4%) 27,336 (49.6%) 55,132
• About 300,000 people directly depend on tobacco farming
8. 8
Tobacco farming status in Kenya
Number of tobacco farmers has
increased from 1,500 in 1971 to
35,000 in 1990s and 55,000 in 2014!.
The number of Tobacco companies
that operate in the country has
increased from one to three (BAT,
Mastermind Tobacco and Tobacco
Alliance One
Major threat:-
Expansion from medium to high
potential agricultural areas due to
the collapse of cotton, sisal,
pyrethrum and coffee farming
sectors
10. 10
The land under tobacco has continued
to grow rapidly at the expense of
traditional food crops- Increased from
1,500 acres in 1971 to over 55,000 acres
by 2014.
Livestock activities are reducing due to
limited land for gracing
Fertile land allocation preferences are
always given to tobacco farming and not
the other crops
Tobacco & Demand on Land Resources
11. 11
• Tobacco Farming is a Major
Contributor to soil erosion-
due to deforestation, shifting
cultivation, cultivation of
marginal lands, etc
• Soil degradation due to
heavy application of
pesticides and synthetic
fertilizers/ soil pollution from
the pesticides
• Nutrient extraction-Tobacco
depletes soil nutrients at a
much fast rate than most
crops
• No mulching is allowed in
tobacco farms
• Decrease in production of
food crops (maize, beans,
etc)
12. Tobacco and its Impact on Water Quality
Tobacco seedlings demand water for
irrigation
Tobacco nurseries are established near
water streams
Commercial tobacco growing involves the
use of a range of herbicides, fungicides and
insecticides to maximise crop production.
Chemicals used are washed into local
streams-pollute the water used for
domestic/ livestock activities
14. Tobacco and Deforestation of Hilltops in Eastern, Meru
14
The tobacco grown is mainly cured using wood fuel. Consequently, a lot
of indigenous trees are felled for curing tobacco.
15. 15
• Materials for building tobacco barns
• Nursery sheds places
• Poles and sticks for the preparation
of tobacco prior to curing
• Over 0.5 million trees cut every year
16. Destruction of Indigenous trees
• To a large extent
indigenous trees have
been replaced by
exotics like eucalyptus,
cypress, pine, etc
• Loss of bio-diversity-
over 50 indigenous tree
species have become
extinct in the region
• Tobacco companies
encourage the use of
indigenous trees
because it gives better
quality/ aroma/ grade
to tobacco cured leaf
16
18. Impact of Tobacco on Water Resources (Quantity)
• Over 85 of local natural
streams have changed
from permanent to
seasonal over a period
of 1970-2015 (45 years)
• Increased distance for
women to collect water
• Time spent by women
and the girl child in
collecting water for
domestic use has
increased over time
19. Tobacco, Deforestation and Wildlife Conservation
• Tobacco farmers in Migori and
Kuria have moved to Masai Mara
Wildlife Reserve (70Km away) in
search of Firewood
• Increased human-wildlife
conflicts
• Major threat to the tourism
sector, country’s national
heritage
19
20. 20
Tobacco & Farmers’ Health
• A tobacco
farmer spends
more income
(USD 35) per
year on medical/
health care
services than a
non-tobacco
farmer
• Most farmers
store the
“Golden Leaf” in
their houses!!
21. 21
Tobacco & Farmers’ Health
• Farmers operate
without personal
protective equipment
(PPE)
• Most common health
problems:-
Green Tobacco
Sickness
Chest complications
Skin and eye irritations
Miscarriages among
pregnant women
Dizziness, etc
23. 23
Field demonstrations on bamboo plantingField demonstrations on bamboo planting
(G(Giant bamboo (Dendrocalamus giganteus), common bamboo (Bambusa
vulgaris), Bambusa tulda, Bambusa textillis and Oxytenanthera abyssinica
1st
Tobacco & 1st
bamboo farmer in South Nyanza
(former MP for Kuria)
24. 24
Monitoring Parameters
Survival rate
Number of culms
Culm height
Culm diameter
Number of shoots
Clump diameter
Diseases/ pest attacks
Branch development
Canopy closure
Internode length
Number of nodes per culm
Human interference and
attitude
30. Key findings from Bamboo
Experiments
• Bamboo production incomes/ acre are
4 -10 times higher than tobacco
farming depending on the production
value chain
• Bamboo growth performance is good
in tobacco farming zones
30
31. 31
Bamboo’s potential in rehabilitating
degraded forests within 2-3 years
Kenya’ naked
Hill Tops
China & Bamboo
Bamboo of 2 Migori
County
32. 32
Bamboo has also been used for protection of Riverbanks and to clean
water downstream already polluted by tobacco farming activities
33. Rural Community –based Small-Scale
Bamboo Farmers Enterprises
33
Over 42% of project tobacco farmers have already
switched to bamboo farming
49. Research Outcomes/ Outputs
• Formed 4 community-based bamboo
farmers coops:-
• Migori Bamboo Farmers Cooperative Society
Ltd.
• Kuria Bamboo Cooperative Society Ltd.
• Homa Bay Bamboo Cooperative Society Ltd.
• Suba Bamboo Cooperative Society Ltd.
• Produce about 150,000 seedlings per year-
30 Millions Ksh (USD 335K)
• In the processing of establishing 20 more
bamboo cooperatives in the next 5 years
• 50% of Counties in Kenya depending on these
coops for supply of bamboo seedlings and
poles
51. 51
Bamboo is being adopted as the best alternative for
eucalyptus in most Counties in Kenya
52. Scientific and Other Outputs
• 6 scientific papers
• 10 Technical Reports (www.tobaccotobamboo.org)
• Project Video
• Farmers Bamboo Products Catalogue and guiding
prices
• Bamboo seedlings price guidelines
• 6 MSc students and 2 PhD Students
52
53. KEY CHALLENGES
• Lack of inputs/ quality
seedlings
• Financing/ start up capital
• Training/ Lack of knowledge
on bamboo farming
• Limited farm and market
education
• Limited links to the market 53
• Lack of a National
Bamboo Development
programme/ policy/
Fund
• Farmers dynamics
• Poor bamboo value-
chain development
Increased number of
conmen/ ‘specialists’
and brokers –
misleading sector
investors
54. KEY RECOMMENDATIONS
• Promote policy and regulations that control tobacco
farming but support alternative crops like bamboo to
protect the environment, farmer’s health and
improve livelihoods (FCTC Articles 17 & 18
• Establishment of bamboo farmers-support
mechanisms / programmes/ fund- the bamboo
farming program must provide farmers with a
complete service model of— inputs, financing,
training, farm and market education, and value-chain
development 54