More than 12,400 farmers across four Kenyan counties have abandoned tobacco cultivation for nutritious food crops under a WHO-backed initiative that is delivering threefold income gains while eliminating child labour and nicotine poisoning from farm households.

The Tobacco Free Farms initiative, launched in Migori County in 2021 and now active in Busia, Bungoma and Meru counties, has converted over 11,540 acres from tobacco to high-iron beans, groundnuts and finger millet. The transition has yielded more than 3.8 million kilograms of produce and fundamentally changed the calculus for smallholder farmers who once saw tobacco as their only reliable income source.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, Kenyan bean farmers earn an average profit of Sh98,700 per acre per year, while tobacco farmers earn just Sh15,224. Growing food does not just increase household income; it also ensures food and nutrition security for farming families who previously went hungry while growing a cash crop they could not eat.

Dawin Sionyonyo Lusakia farmed tobacco for over 20 years in Busia County. He now attends community meetings to share his experience with farmers still considering the switch.

“I used to farm tobacco, but I gained nothing from it. The work was overwhelming, and the worst part was having to involve my children,” Lusakia said. “I didn’t want to, but without their help we couldn’t earn enough to eat.”

Tobacco growing is labour-intensive and often relies on child labour, depriving children of education and exposing them to hazardous conditions. The tobacco industry exploits smallholder farmers by offering initial incentives such as credit financing and promises of high returns, yet companies dictate pricing and grading, leaving farmers with little negotiating power. Many fall into debt traps that perpetuate household poverty.

Each day, a tobacco worker who plants, cultivates and harvests tobacco may absorb as much nicotine as found in 50 cigarettes. As many as one in four tobacco farmers are affected by green tobacco sickness, caused by nicotine absorbed through the skin when handling wet leaves. Symptoms include vomiting, dizziness, headaches, abdominal pain and breathlessness, lasting one to three days on average.

Lusakia recalled the chemicals and their effects on his family’s health.

“We had to use strong chemicals to grow tobacco, pesticides and fertilisers that were expensive and harmful. They caused headaches, coughing and skin problems, especially when we didn’t have protective gear. The chemicals also damaged our soil and made it harder to grow other crops afterward,” he said.

A recent study found that only 54 percent of tobacco farmers receive personal protective equipment, and fewer than half reported wearing gloves, boots or overalls while working. Women face particularly harmful effects, with 50.1 percent of households cultivating tobacco reporting that pregnant women participated in tobacco-growing activities. Nearly a quarter reported pregnancy complications including miscarriage, stillbirth and premature births.

After picking, tobacco must be cured in small, enclosed rooms where fires are lit to smoke-dry the leaves. Children are often tasked with tending these fires. The concentration of smoke and nicotine in these confined spaces poses serious health risks, particularly for young lungs.

Tobacco curing demands large quantities of firewood, driving deforestation across farmland. Kikulesi gestured at tree stumps on his land.

“When I started tobacco farming, I had a lot of trees, but I have had to cut a lot of them down for firewood to dry the leaves. I am now left with very few trees on my property,” he said.

Globally, the area under tobacco cultivation decreased by 15.8 per cent between 2005 and 2020, but in Africa it increased by 19.8 per cent, making households across the continent increasingly vulnerable to food insecurity.

Bernard Imoh, a 56-year-old farmer from Otubokin in Busia County, farmed tobacco for six years but struggled to see meaningful returns beyond feeding his family. In 2022, he switched to high-iron nyota beans.

“I bought a bull in 2023 after dropping tobacco farming for the high-yielding beans, something I’m really proud of,” Imoh said.

Today, with a more stable income, Imoh pays his children’s college fees and consistently provides food for his household.

“I don’t regret abandoning tobacco for nyota beans. It’s a decision I’ve never looked back on. I’ve seen success after success, not just for myself, but for my entire family,” he said.

Faith, a farmer from Ataba village in Busia County, switched from tobacco to nyota beans five years ago and now cultivates beans and trees on her four-acre farm.

“We now pay school fees using income from the beans. Sometimes, I even deliver beans directly to schools in exchange for part of the fees,” Faith said. “I can also feel the difference in our health. Maize and beans make our bodies strong. When we cook them, they taste delicious and my children love eating them.”

Dr Neema Kimambo, WHO Kenya acting representative, said the transformation extends far beyond income gains.

“The income boost has had a profound impact on communities, enabling farmers to pay school fees, access healthcare, and invest in their future,” Kimambo said. “What we are seeing is not just an economic shift, but a transformation in resilience of farming families. When a farmer can feed their children, send them to school and protect their health, that is the foundation of lasting change.”

The Tobacco Free Farms initiative currently operates in Kenya, Zambia and Uganda, with plans to expand to Tanzania and Malawi. Within Kenya, plans are underway to extend to Embu, Tharaka Nithi and Homa Bay counties, building on the success achieved so far.

The initiative is made possible through collaboration between WHO, FAO, WFP, UNCDF, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, the Cereal Growers Association, the Farm to Market Alliance, and other partner organisations.