World No Tobacco Day 2023: Theme ”We need food, not tobacco”

WHO celebrates World No Tobacco Day 2023 on 31 May with the theme “We need food, not tobacco”, so learn more details about why it is celebrated every year.

According to a report by Lungcancerresearchfoundation.org, “An estimated 238,340 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung cancer in 2023. About 1 in 16 people will develop lung cancer in their lifetime.

So with the concern of people all over the world, WHO celebrates World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) on 31st May every year, and accordingly WHO announced the theme of World No Tobacco Day 2023 as “We need food, not tobacco”.

“We need food, not tobacco” A Call for Food as Priority on World No Tobacco Day 2023 (WNTD)

This theme stands with the deep meaning of stopping growing tobacco and instead, this Theme conveys that by growing sustainable, nutritious crops you can be a part of helping to feed the world’s many regional people who need food.

With the theme “We need food, not tobacco”, WHO’s World No Tobacco Day 2023 global campaign aims to raise awareness among tobacco farmers about better alternatives and encourage them to grow sustainable, nutritious crops.

And The campaign is raising awareness of how farmers can make a positive impact on social issues by producing these sustainable, nutritious crops.

According to a ReliefWeb report. int ” between 7,745.7 and 19,701.7 people die every day as a result of acute hunger and 5.39 to 13.69 people die every minute. That translates to one person dying every 4.25 – 12 seconds.

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WHO Says ‘‘Tobacco growing and production raises food insecurity concerns” 

We have observed all the ongoing uncertainties around the world such as conflicts and wars, climate shocks, and the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, all of which have happened unexpectedly, so this is an important part of the growing food crisis in recent times,

Because tobacco was chosen as a commercial crop as their primary crop, you can see the consequences of this choice below, showing how growing tobacco contributes to food insecurity.

According to WHO ”How efficient is tobacco cultivation?”

• Approximately 3.5 million acres of land are converted for tobacco growing worldwide each year.
• Tobacco farming contributes to the deforestation of 200,000 acres annually.
• Growing tobacco is resource-intensive and requires heavy use of pesticides and fertilizers, leading to environmental pollution and degradation.
• The use of pesticides in tobacco farming poses a significant risk to biodiversity and non-target species.
• Tobacco farming depletes soil fertility, reducing the capacity of the land to support the growth of other crops, including food crops.
• Compared to other agricultural activities like maize growing and livestock grazing, tobacco farming has a far more destructive impact on ecosystems.
• Tobacco farmlands are particularly susceptible to desertification, exacerbating soil erosion and loss of productive land.
• The intensive water usage associated with tobacco farming contributes to water scarcity and depletes water resources in regions where it is grown.
• Tobacco cultivation releases significant amounts of greenhouse gases, contributing to climate change.
• The clearing of land for tobacco cultivation disrupts natural habitats, displacing wildlife and threatening biodiversity.

As mentioned in WHO Report ”If farmers know that tobacco crop is a good source of income and livelihood of farmers, it is a misconception”.

This is because during tobacco cultivation, due to the use of too many pesticides and fertilizers, family members fall ill these chemical pesticides are highly toxic and there is a high possibility of leading to loss of their life,

Finally, I hope you got this article useful and informative, So don’t consume Tobacco and also If you are a farmer then avoid growing Tobbacco cros onwards, and Don’t forget the Intention of WHO’s this World No Tobacco Day 2023’s Theme and purpose, Thank You