For decades, in search of even more profits, tobacco industry has been encouraging countries and farmers to grow more tobacco. hey have been promoting tobacco growing as a panacea, claiming that it will bring unparalleled prosperity to farmers, their communities, and their countries. Viet Nam, a developing country with a tropical climate and hard-working laborers- which seems appropriate for tobacco cultivation, is not outside the target of cigarette companies. order to enforce the policies on tobacco control in Vietnam, reliable information on health and economic hazards associated with tobacco farming are urgently needed by those with advocacy’s responsibility as well as for society in general. However, even though the number of research on tobacco in Vietnam has recently increased rapidly, to our knowledge, there remains no research on this area. The high quality evidence on health and economic hazards associated with tobacco farming is believed to be a firm background for advocacy process against tobacco use in Vietnam.
General objective
To preliminarily investigate the impacts of tobacco growing on the livelihood and health of tobacco farmers, and environment in Vietnam.
Specific objectives
- To describe the livelihood of the tobacco farmers in Vietnam.
- To estimate the amount of pesticide and fertilizers used in tobacco farming households.
- To explore the association between tobacco farming and self-reported illness.
- To describe the roles of child and woman labor in tobacco farming.
With funding support from the South East Asian Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), this study is led by the Vietnam Public Health Association with participations of 2 others institutes including Hanoi School of Public Health and Hanoi Medical University. This is A mixed methods design (13) including qualitative method (in-depth interview and focus group discussion) and cross-sectional household survey will be employed. Mixed methods designs allow researchers to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the complexity of human behaviors and experiences. Incorporation of qualitative method in the present study adds a cultural dimension on the impacts of tobacco farming on livelihood, health and environment of the farmers. Two districts including Vo Nhai district, Thai Nguyen province in the North and Cam My district, Dong Nai province in Southern part of Vietnam were purposefully selected (see map attached in appendix 1) because of the feasibility of the project and the representativeness of tobacco farming in the two main parts of Vietnam. Two communes, one is tobacco farming and one is non-tobacco farming (for comparison) which have similar geographical and socio-economical characteristics in each selected district were chosen. As a result, total of 4 communes were selected for the present study.
Results of the study show that tobacco planters are not wealthier than the other farmers. In fact, tobacco farming does not bring much benefit to the planters. The benefit the farmers can get would have been much higher if they had done some things else or even hired by some one for some physical works instead of investing in tobacco farming. However, an issue of concern here is the fact that tobacco farmers did not know what to do instead of tobacco farming. Initiatives should be implemented to replace tobacco farming. Tobacco market place is not stable and the farmers do not have truly bargaining power that can make tobacco farmer’s livelihoods even become worse. Further, tobacco farming has also had harmful effects on farmers’ health and environment. Child and woman labor is widespread and essential an all stages of tobacco farming which raises important issues related to gender equality, social and health impact of tobacco growing on these vulnerable groups.
Results of this study will be also disseminated at the workshop titled “ Tobacco control – scientific evidence – policy implementation in Viet Nam” to be held by the Vietnam Public Health Association and HealthBrdige Canada in March,2008. In addition, results of the study will be widely disseminated to stakeholders and policy makers through some communication channels like newsletter, website, international and local journals… It is expected that the scientific evidence of this study on impacts of tobacco farming on farmer’s livelihood will be firm background for tobacco control advocacy in Viet Nam
