Crop diversification on tobacco growing farms has for decades been encouraged by the sector as a manner of complementing farmers’ income. This guideline has gained momentum over the past years through partnerships with public organs. Currently, according to data released by Afubra, tobacco farmers devote no more than 23% of their holdings to tobacco. The rest of the area is for other agricultural activities or for livestock operations (corn, black-beans, soybeans, livestock, pastureland, ponds, native forests and reforestation).
Learn about the programs that stimulate diversification initiatives:
For more than 30 years the tobacco companies have been encouraging the farmers to reforest as a manner to diversify the holding. Besides preserving the native forests and providing wood for curing their tobacco, farmers can turn surplus sales into an income source.
In place since 1985, the program expects to involve all the tobacco growers in South Brazil, encouraging them to grow alternative crops, taking advantage of tobacco residual fertilizer, thus reducing production costs. Besides the field structure of the companies associated with the SindiTabaco, technicians of the partner entities will also do their part in promoting the advantages derived from these off-season crops.
