From tobacco to food production : assessing constraints and transition strategies in Bangladesh; final technical report

Abstract

Anti-tobacco legislation in Bangladesh establishes the principle of support to tobacco farmers wanting to shift out of tobacco production. How to do so remains a key challenge. No detailed research has been undertaken on the constraints farmers face or practical ways to make the transition to alternative cropping systems. Using participatory and conventional research methods, this project developed a better understanding of the constraints farmers face and promising directions for helping farmers shift out of tobacco into socially and economically sustainable and ecological forms of agriculture following Nayakrishi biodiversity-based farming practices. The findings point to the need for public investment in the rehabilitation of soils degraded by years of tobacco production, urgent action to halt the expansion of tobacco into new and fragile environments, the critical role of farmer-based seed systems in facilitating a transition out of tobacco cultivation, and the need for public investment in marketing infrastructure for food and other economic products. By the end of the project, more than 350 participating farmers had made a permanent shift out of tobacco production and local capacities were established to support ongoing experimentation with new cropping systems. In addition, the project helped raise awareness among government departments and non-governmental organizations of policy-relevant findings from the research.