World No Tobacco Day 2023: History, theme and significance

World No Tobacco Day, celebrated annually on 31 May, is an initiative led by the World Health Organization (WHO) to promote awareness about the detrimental effects of tobacco use and advocate for policies aimed at reducing its consumption. This yearly event educates the public about the risks associated with tobacco, sheds light on the practices of tobacco companies, and highlights WHO’s efforts in combating the use of the product. Despite the tobacco industry portraying itself as a champion of  farmers’ well-being, the reality is starkly different, according to the WHO. The extensive use of insecticides and harmful chemicals in tobacco farming leads to numerous health issues among farmers and their families. Apart from that, unjust contractual agreements with companies perpetuate poverty among farmers. The primary focus of this year’s global anti-tobacco campaign is to raise awareness regarding the opportunities for tobacco farmers to engage in alternative crop production and marketing. The campaign promotes the cultivation of sustainable and nourishing crops, while also seeking to uncover the tobacco industry’s interference in efforts to replace tobacco farming with sustainable crops. By doing so, the campaign aims to address the tobacco industry’s contribution to the global food crisis. History World No Tobacco Day was established by the Member States of the WHO in 1987 with the aim of raising worldwide awareness about the tobacco epidemic and the avoidable illnesses and fatalities it leads to. In 1987, the World Health Assembly approved Resolution WHA40.38, which declared 7 April 1988, as an internationally recognised “world no-smoking day”. The following year, Resolution WHA42.19 was adopted, declaring 31 May as the annual observance of World No Tobacco Day. Theme The theme for this year’s World No Tobacco Day is “We need food, not tobacco”. Significance The global food crisis has increased due to factors such as conflicts, climate-related shocks, and the socioeconomic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to this, structural aspects, including the choice of crops, play a significant role in exacerbating the issue. Examining tobacco cultivation sheds light on its contribution to heightened food insecurity:

1. Globally, approximately 3.5 million hectares of land are annually converted for tobacco farming, leading to deforestation spanning 200,000 hectares per year, according to WHO.
2. Tobacco cultivation is resource-intensive, necessitating substantial pesticide and fertiliser usage, which contributes to soil degradation.
3. The land dedicated to tobacco cultivation leads to diminished capacity for growing other crops, due to the reduction in soil fertility.
4. Compared to agricultural activities like maize cultivation and livestock grazing, tobacco farming exhibits a considerably more destructive impact on ecosystems, as tobacco farms are particularly prone to desertification.

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