Wherever we look, we can increasingly see the shift from tobacco to food cultivation, or as our project partners in Bangladesh consequently call it: the return to food cultivation.

In many regions, an important aspect of this seems to be crop diversification, which means that farmers are growing a variety of crops. This diversity can at the same time contribute to income security and local food security.

Community organisation and access to markets

In Invernada, a community in southern Brazil in the state of Paraná, tobacco cultivation is still one of the main sources of income. Nevertheless, crop diversification has taken place here over the last 20 years – although this is challenging because the farmers have little land and tobacco cultivation takes up too much time. Two factors have been fundamental: community organisation within the village and public policies that support food production and the establishment of local markets, such as the National Food Procurement Programme (PAA) and the National School Feeding Programme (PNAE). Through these programmes, the Brazilian state buys food from family farms and distributes it to deprived people or to schools and other institutions. In this way, it promotes both rural smallholder production and food security for the population.

The community organisation has always been strong in Invernada, where smallholder family farming is predominant. One of the most important things for the community is to multiply heirloom seeds and thus preserve their agrobiodiversity. Every year, a seed fair is organised in the municipality, which is getting bigger every year, and there are the seed guardians, who have a long tradition.

‘My parents were farmers their whole life and always took care of heirloom seeds. They grew maize, beans, potatoes, rice, cassava, wheat and rye for the family’s consumption.’

Maria Terezinha de Oliveira Skrzcezkiwski, a 71-year-old farmer who has maintained this tradition and is one of the seed guardians

Cooperation between the families is also important in order to establish markets for the food crops and reduce production costs. For example, the Association of Rural Producers of Invernada (APRI), which now has 80 member families, has machinery that can be used by everyone. Smaller associations are integrated into agricultural cooperatives in order to gain access to the food markets.[1]

Women’s initiative and mutual support

In another community in the state of Paraná, in Passo do Tio Paulo, Sandra Lopes decided to quit tobacco farming five years ago, as all the money earned from tobacco went towards its production costs. Together with her husband and mother, she planted arracacha [a crop similar to celery that is common in South America] instead, which they were soon able to supply to markets in Palmeira and neighbouring towns. Mrs Lopes also joined the Cooperative of Family Agriculture of Palmeira (CAFPAL) and began supplying to the National School Feeding Programme (PNAE). As both the cooperative and the local markets also had a need for various other products, the family expanded their crops and began growing casssava, potatoes, various vegetables and strawberries. The family’s income is now about 20% higher than with tobacco cultivation.

Last year, Mrs Lopes initiated the formation of the Passo Delas collective [Passo Delas = the women’s step] in her community, a group of women who support each other in their search for alternatives to tobacco cultivation. The group meets on each woman’s property to see how they can optimise and what they need to learn.
Very often it is the women who take the initiative and experiment with new crops. This often starts in backyard gardens where they grow food for their families. And women have also played an important role in preserving heirloom seeds in the region.”[ibid.]

Biodiversity and livelihoods

On the other side of the Atlantic, women in Zimbabwe play an important role in a project in the Zambezi Valley. There, it is mainly women farmers, including many tobacco farmers, who are learning new skills and improving their livelihoods as part of the Utariri programme. They have taken part in training courses on mushroom production and the cultivation of cowpeas and sorghum and have been supported with seed packets for small grains such as sorghum.[2]
Crop diversification is a key aspect here too, in order to put livelihoods on a broader base and deal with the effects of climate change. The local communities, including tourist lodges, form the market for the food crops.

Farmers who used to grow tobacco, do not only cultivate their fields differently now, but also use the former tobacco barns for mushroom cultivation, which they can integrate into the agricultural cycle. Oyster mushrooms are among the climate-adapted varieties with a low ecological footprint. They grow on plant residues from the fields and after harvesting, their residues can be used to fertilise the fields. Their cultivation also produces quick yields and can serve as a good source of income for farmers all year round.[3]

In the Zambezi Valley, other climate-adapted crop varieties, including the above-mentioned cowpeas and sorghum, as well as quinoa, chilli, sesame and peanuts, are to contribute to the diversification of livelihoods in the long term.[4]

In this way, the environment and biodiversity are being preserved or even improved. And the cooperation between local communities, organisations and nature conservation groups contributes to better living conditions in the Zambezi Valley.

One of the organisations involved in the programme is FACHIG (Farmers Association of Community self-help Investment Groups), a grassroots organisation led by its members. Remarkably, 73% of FACHIG members are women and the organisation is one of the few women-led farmers’ organisations in Zimbabwe. FACHIG empowers local communities for climate-smart agriculture and sustainable livelihoods, providing them with skills and knowledge to organise themselves effectively, overcome local challenges and build sustainable livelihoods.[5]

„The name 'Passo Delas Collective' refers to our community, but it also means that women are taking the first step towards diversifying cultivation.“ Sandra Lopes, Passo do Tio Paulo, Brazil