Addicted to tobacco: The case of Malawi

The impact of tobacco is not limited to smoking and goes beyond its effect on health. The far-reaching impact of tobacco is particularly troublesome for developing countries like Malawi, one of the world's leading growers of tobacco. This paper explores a number of channels through which tobacco has a negative impact on the people and economy of Malawi and reviews what is known about each area.

Tobacco impacts Malawi in the following ways: 1) negative health outcomes resulting from tobacco production such as green tobacco sickness, pesticide exposure, and traumatic injury; 2) a cycle of poverty created for tenant farmers working on large tobacco estates; 3) the use of child labor and the resulting effect on children's health and educational attainment; 4) the effect on soil of using tobacco stems as mulch; 5) environmental degradation resulting from deforestation as wood is collected to be used in flue curing and also from pesticide use in tobacco production; and 6) the impact that dependence on tobacco as the major source of foreign exchange coupled with low world tobacco prices has had on the economy, leading to ongoing major and widespread shortages of petrol and frequent power outages.

Tobacco has had a devastating effect on the people and economy of Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world. Alternatives to tobacco production must be sought and a transition planned to a Malawi economy that is not dependent on tobacco production. Lessons learned in Malawi can be applied to other countries as well.