Project Details
Project Briefing
Tobacco production and processing is one of the largest agro-industries in Mozambique. For both the local production companies and international buyers it is important that high environmental and social standards are applied. Tobacco curing is largely reliant on wood to fire the kilns. In Mozambique, the contracted farmers rely almost exclusively on natural forest areas for the sourcing of their fire-wood.
This trend may have a potential effect on the deforestation level of the production regions. Greenlight in collaboration with the South Pole has assessed the extent of forest degradation associated with the tobacco industry as well as proposed a series of measures to reduce the potential negative impact.
Such measures include forest management plans, forest regeneration plans, and plantation-based production/ sourcing of firewood. A large sample of tobacco producer farmers was surveyed for this project in Niassa and Zambezia province.