Tobacco Farmers Case Study

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Socio-economic background of Tobacco farmers The socio-economic characteristics and background of tobacco farmers influence their production to a great extent(Hassan et al.2015). In order to get vivid picture of socio-economic status of tobacco farmers ,this paper includes age, education level, family size, main occupation status, types of farmers based on farm size, farming experience, tenurial status, and status of receiving any support from tobacco company . Age: The socio–economic characteristics of the respondents surveyed on the selected tobacco farmer in the study area are in Table 1. The results revealed that among 100 respondents, age of the major (32% and 28%) tobacco farmers ranged from 31 to 50 years. In general most of the respondents…show more content…
The study uncovers some of the causes (not mutually exclusive) that lead to preference of tobacco farming. Major causes of tobacco farming are more profitability than other crops, having much money at a time, having easier market access, uncertain market price of other crops, ancestral occupation, having incentives (in loan, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides etc.) and technical supports from the company, Land is less suitable for other crops, having guarantee of selling tobacco leaves at fair price, encouraging from the tobacco company, and neighboring land factors as described in…show more content…
The idea of ethics in tobacco farming differs from person to person. A tobacco farmer would consider not only personal cost-benefit but also social cost-benefit of it. He or she should consider the resulting short-run and long run negative impact on public health, society and environment. The tendency of farmers to cut or stop their tobacco farming considering its various negative issues on public health, society and environment is assumed as his/her ethics. The nature of ethics would include awareness about tobacco causing individual health and public health hazards, decline of soil fertility, environmental pollution etc. and making decision about tobacco farming. To investigate whether farmers are known about harmfulness of tobacco farming and what is their comments about validity of tobacco farming from ethical ground, summary of the opinion of the respondents about tobacco farming and its ethical related issues are described in table-2. It is shown in the findings that 67% tobacco farmers of the study area say that it is harmful for health. Majority (73%) of the farmers think that they should not produce a crop that is harmful for others but beneficial for them(Table-2). It reflects their common morality. Around 58% reveals that tobacco cultivation pollutes environment and 65% respondents say that it leads to decline soil fertility gradually. Here it is implied that a significant number of farmers are not aware about

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