Tobacco Farmers’ Perceptions of Unsafe Tobacco Cultivation and Its Effect on Health and Environment: A Case of Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh

Abstract

As the environment is severely harmed by tobacco (like growing, processing, production, and disposal), the study was set forth to determine the tobacco cultivation status and perceptions of the tobacco farmers toward the environmental and health hazards of tobacco farmers due to tobacco cultivation. We conducted the study in Lama Upazila, Bandarban Hill District, Bangladesh. The survey method was applied to collect the necessary data, utilizing a pre-structured interview schedule, from 242 tobacco farmers who were selected randomly. The study’s results portrayed that the average tobacco cultivation farming experience of the farmers was about 10 years, and the farmers occupied about 0.97 acres of land for cultivating tobacco, while 81% of the tobacco farmers utilized the plain lands for cultivating tobacco, although the study area was a hilly one. A huge amount of fuel wood (average 5390 kg) was required for the curing of tobacco leaves. The farmers produced about 2 MT of tobacco per year and earned about BDT 89,066 (USD 810) from this production. Given that 77% of the tobacco farmers in the research area felt that tobacco production increased the risks to the environment and tobacco farmers health, their opinions ranged from somewhat to highly favorable, which meant they were concerned about the environment and health hazards. The research’s findings provide useful background knowledge on the detrimental effects of Bangladesh’s tobacco farming.