By HOPE BWALYA –
‘TOBACCO is harmful to your health,’ is a statement that many are aware of; however, others are ignorant of its role in the eco-system.
The bad effects of tobacco when smoked by humans are more known than its effects on the natural surroundings of our environment.
The negative impact it has on the environment begs the question why governments, including our own, have still continued to support its growth.
In the 1600’s, tobacco was so popular that it was equivalently used as money; it was literally as good as gold.
Governments have still continued to support its growth even with its proven harmful effects on human health.
It is therefore also important to delve into the plant’s place in the eco-system, mainly to explore its benefits on the environment.
Ecology is defined by the Longman’s Dictionary of Contemporary English as the scientific study of the pattern of relations of plants, animals and people to each other and to their surroundings.
Therefore an ecosystem is an ecological system which relates all the plants, animals and people in an area to their surroundings considered as a whole.
Tobacco is a plant that is part of the genus Nicotiana, of the Solanaceae (nightshade) family and has a botanical name of Nicotiana tabacum.
It is a plant that is believed to have its origins in North and South America.
The plant is believed to have started being grown in about 6,000 B.C. in South and North America and as early as 1 B.C, American Indians began using tobacco in many different ways, such as in religious and medicinal practices.
Tobacco was believed to be a cure-all, and was used to dress wounds, and as a pain killer.
The negative effects of the plant were only noticed in the 1600s and it was in the same period that people noticed that it was not easy to quit the bad habit of smoking as the plant as it is super addictive and gives the hype.
Several research works have shown that in as much as the plant had shown undeniable significant negative effects in the human body once inhaled, it had however shown positive effects on the environment.
In Zambia, one of the Tobacco growers the Japanese Tobacco International (JTI) company which supports more than 7, 000 farmers countrywide to produce it’s Burley and its Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco, with a production rate of more than 7, 000 Kg of the merchandise, highlighted some of the positive effects of the plant.
JTI Zambia leaf production manager Peter Chibale said the company continued to grow the product as it understood the many benefits of the plant.
“One of the positives about tobacco is that it can be used as a pesticide in agriculture production and it is also used in skin care products like glycerin which is used by both babies and grownups,” he said.
The company, which mainly grows its product in Western and Eastern provinces of Zambia, has about 3,341 farmers in Eastern Province alone with a hectarage of 3, 920 and a production rate of 4,000 tonnes per year.
While in Western Province, particularly Kaoma and Nkeyema, it has about 3, 500 farmers and has a production of 3, 534 tonnes of mainly FCV.
In pursuit of its commitment to growing the tobacco sector, the company had ventured into planting trees and had since set a target of 7.2 million trees by the year 2022.
Mr Chibale said this year, the institution intends to empower about 3, 287 farmers in its tobacco and tree planting venture with a total of 4000 ha.
So, back to its place in the ecosystem the plant is a good insect repellent for the gardens.
By simply soaking as little as a cigarette amount of tobacco in water and allowing it to soak overnight, the nicotine released in the water would create an all-purpose insect repellent.
It can be used as an Aphid and Peach tree borer control. By sprinkling tobacco dust around peach trees, the product would deter the borers from infesting the tree.
The plant can be used as an insecticide on leaf rollers, garden centipede, gophers, moles and spider.
In relation to its place in the ecosystem and relation to humans, the Journal of the American Medical Association said those that suffer from mental disorders such as, schizophrenia, Alzheimers and dementia and other disorders may experience positive effects from smoking.
According to studies, patients’ cognitive abilities slightly improved.
It can also be used as toothpaste. In India, powdered tobacco is rubbed on the teeth for cleaning.  This method is still used in India and marketed in stores around the country.
Dr Anne Charlton, in her 2004 (292-296) publication on the medicinal uses of tobacco in history outlined some of the uses of the plant like in the treatment of wasp, fire ant, scorpion and bee stings.
She suggested further study of the plant as in the past it showed that a lot was expected from the plant than it could offer.
“I suggest we should set aside the prejudices generated by the ill-effects of tobacco smoking and examine the leaves systematically for substances of therapeutic value,” she said.
The plant could be described as a relationship enhancer as the Zambian and the Japanese governments have built long standing ties that have enabled for increased cultivation of the plant on grounds of employment and trade.
Japanese Ambassador to Zambia Hidenobu Sobashima said Japan was determined to enhance the bilateral relations that existed between his government and Zambia.
Mr Sobashima said his government was focused on partnering with the Zambian Government in empowering its people.