The Origin of Tobacco Farming
Smoking Facts About the Tobacco Economy
Tobacco farming grew into planation economies in response to the
growing demand for tobacco after the explorers introduced it to the European continent and tobacco smoking became more prevalent.
The smoking facts about addictive tobacco effects were not well understood at this time, but
what people did know was that they wanted more so growing tobacco instead of food,
became a way for farmers to make more money from their land.
The Origin of Tobacco Growing
Past, Present, and Future
As tobacco smoking was introduced to populations around the world the addictive tobacco effects
increased the demand and once the demand was created by addicted users, free enterprisers started to see
the potential of growing and selling tobacco, beause it was recognized that there would be an endless supply of customers for the product.
Growing and processing, manufacturing and retailing tobacco, became an important part the economy especially in
the "new world". Governments also recognized the source of new tax revenue.
The Past
Commercial tobacco cultivation began in earnest in the 17th century in what is now the state of Virginia
in the US because the climate was favourable for rapid plant growth. As a British colony,
Virginia enjoyed trade benefits with England and that is where all the tobacco went. England manufactured and processed it and distributed it to the
growing numbers of tobacco consumers in its own country and elsewhere.
As demand continued to increase, tobacco farming became so
lucrative in the state of Virginia that for a time food production was threatened as farmers gave up growing food for the more lucrative broad leafed tobacco plant.
However, cultivation of the tobacco plant is labour intensive so cheap labour
was needed. Consequently a slave industry was established to provide the needed labour and
tobacco plantations grew.
In many countries tobacco is still a significant source of jobs, retail income for businesses,
and tax revenue for governments.
It is the money derived from tobacco cultivation, employment, profits, and taxes that are often
used as a reason not to move forward with smoking bans or anti-tobacco laws, despite the known
smoking facts and dangers of smoking cigarettes that have been proven in the last century of scientific study.
All that is pure smoking fiction designed to scare people into thinking that tobacco
is an important economic contributor when in fact resources are wasted on growing tobacco and the
use of the products from that farming effort costs taxpayers in all countries billions of dollars per year.
Let's face it, just because a particular agricultural product has an economic presence does
not mean that there has to be an economic dependence on that product.
"Papa sits on the front porch swinging,
Lookin' out on a vacant view,
Used to be filled with burley tobacco,
Now he knows it never will."
"Long Time Gone"
written by Darrell Scott
The Present
Just like the song says, many tobacco fields are not being used to grow tobacco anymore. Some
tobacco farmers are having to be innovative about how they use their land and what crops they grow.
In Canada for example the number of tobacco farms has decreased from over 4500 to about 680 in the last 50 years. Additionally,
in that same time period the average income for tobacco farmers decreased by about 25%. Some government initiatives have been put in place in the last 50 years to assist farmers to
switch from growing tobacco to other crops.
The Future
In Canada it is becoming harder and harder to make a living from tobacco farming.
The vice chairman of the Tobacco Farmers in Crisis Association has been quoted as saying "The tobacco industry is the Titanic."
Is it such a bad thing that the tobacco agribusiness is sinking like the titanic?
Hopefully this suggests that tobacco use is decreasing and tobacco use will continue to decline in the future.
The picture in the US may be slightly different.
As a result of removing government imposed quotas,
the amount of land used for growing tobacco has increased by 20 percent in recent years.
Since tobacco is a more lucrative
crop than corn or other food crops some farmers are switching to tobacco crops once again.
It is the continued wordwide demand that creates the main market
for their product as the domestic demand for tobacco is decreasing in the US.
Unlike Canada where tobacco farmers receive government support to switch to other crops,
in the US it is the tobacco companies who provide support, encouragement, and training to
farmers. Of course they do not provide support to grow any other product but the
one they want to purchase and manufacture.
One has to wonder if this was the result that was anticipated when the US government moved
to eliminate the quota regulations.
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