Tobacco farmers switch to sustainable crops in Brazil

In front of the bountiful table – with rice, beans, meat, corn, cassava, sweet potatoes, cabbage, and cucumbers – Álvaro Luettjohann smiles: “Everything we are about to eat is organic and produced here.” Álvaro and his wife, Adriana, live in Candelária, a small town in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Going to their farm feels like walking into an oasis in a neighborhood normally marked by tobacco growing and the use of pesticides.

Brazil is the largest exporter and third largest producer of tobacco in the world, but tobacco farming is a problem globally with over 120 countries growing tobacco. In Brazil, tobacco crops are highly concentrated in the three southern states, one of which is Rio Grande do Sul, where Álvaro and Adriana live, which hosts more than 50,000 tobacco farms.

Álvaro and Adriane know the tireless work of a tobacco farmer since their families have grown this crop for generations. Studies show that tobacco farming is a much more labor-intensive endeavor compared to other crops. Beyond that, tobacco farmers and their families face various health risks throughout the process, including chronic lung conditions and nicotine poisoning caused by the absorption of nicotine through the skin when workers handle uncured tobacco leaves.

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