Tobacco is Leaving Millions of People Without Food
We're slowly running out of farmland. Urban sprawl, desertification as well as irrigation issues are among the many thieves that steal valuable farmland each year. The trend is quite disturbing; in 1970 there were 0.39 hectares of arable land, or the land suitable for farming, per person. That's down to less than 0.22 hectares as of 2010 and is expected to continue declining in the future. Because of this, non-food crops like tobacco could end up being banished from fields as it's using land that could be used to feed the masses.
Tobacco's impact on food production
While tobacco is typically grown in a rotation with other crops, it's still taking up valuable arable land that could be used for growing food. Further, because tobacco plants use more nutrients than other crops, it leads to degradation of the soil. In addition, tobacco soil is prone to wind and water erosion, which can leave the soil less suitable for food crops.
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