Abstract:
This paper examines the relationship between tobacco production, food crop growing and
food security in Malakisi sub-county of Bungoma County with a view of establishing the
effect of tobacco growing on household food security. Bungoma County is one of the major
tobacco growing zones in Kenya where tobacco was introduced as a cash crop by British
American Tobacco (BAT) in the seventies. The main aim of the study was to assess the effect
of tobacco production on food crop growing and household food security in the sub-county
and how this has affected household nutrition. Malakisi is one of the nine sub counties that
make up Bungoma County, which receives high rainfall and favourable conditions for cash
and food crop growing. However, Malakisi sub-county has been food insecure raising
questions as to whether tobacco growing is beneficial to the farmers. In this study, data was
collected from 138 farmers who grew tobacco together with food crops and those who grew
tobacco only in order to make a comparison on their household food security status. Data was
collected using questionnaires, oral interview, direct observation and focus group discussion
(FGDs). The results indicate that the region is food insecure with majority of the tobacco
farmers living below the poverty line as a result of low returns from tobacco growing. The
results also indicate that farmers grow tobacco because of the farm inputs that are given on
credit basis by the tobacco companies which is later deducted from the farmers’ payment
when the cured tobacco leaves are delivered to the contracting companies. The study found
out that farmers devote too much of their time tending the tobacco crop at the expense of
food crops, leaving almost no time to grow food crops. This has resulted in food shortages in
the area.
