Farmers’ Willingness to Stop Tobacco Cultivation and Perception of Alternate Food Crops to Replace It: Case of Major Tobacco Growing Areas in Bangladesh

Abstract

Background: The study was conducted to ascertain the farmers’ willingness to stop tobacco cultivation, identify the determinants of farmers’ desire to stop tobacco cultivation and discover alternate food crops farmers are interested in cultivating in Bangladesh. Methods: A total of 377 tobacco growers in most tobacco-growing areas in Bangladesh were surveyed using a sample randomization technique using binary logistic regression and the factors influencing farmers’ choice to produce tobacco were examined. Face-to-face structured surveys from January 2022 to March 2023 were conducted in Mirpur Upazila (Sub-district) from Kushtia and Gangachara Upazila from Rangpur districts of Bangladesh. Result: Only 46.4% of the farmers are willing to stop tobacco cultivation. The key determinants for their willingness to stop growing tobacco are education level, tobacco cultivation experience, incentives and organizational participation of the tobacco farmers. In the farmer’s view, maize, mustard, potatoes and lentils are the most suitable food crops to replace tobacco. To shift tobacco farmers to growing food crops, the Government should increase the farmers’ educational level and offer inputs, loans and other incentives to promote alternate crops like maize, mustard, potato and lentil.