Assessment of livelihood assets and strategies among tobacco and non tobacco growing households in south Nyanza region, Kenya

Abstract

This study assessed household assets and livelihood strategies among tobacco-growing households in comparison to non-tobacco-growing households in the south Nyanza region, Kenya. It was meant to provide basic information that could be used to advice on local enforcement of Article 17 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) through crop and livelihood diversification as an alternative strategy to tobacco farming. A multi-stage and stratified random sampling procedure was used to select and survey 440 households (i.e. 210 tobacco and 230 non-tobacco) from the study area. The survey was carried out using a standard questionnaire with both structured and non-structured questions which was supplemented by four Focussed Group Discussions. The study established that an annual net income of a non-tobacco farmer is higher than that of a tobacco farmer with an average annual difference of $ 198 which is a significant margin in rural areas. Moreover, a tobacco farming household spends more income ($ 35) per year on healthcare services than a non-tobacco household, an indication that the latter group is prone to illnesses. In terms of social life, tobacco farming is labour intensive and evidently encourages polygamy though to a large extent, it is also a common cultural practice in the area. It was also noted that majority of the non-tobacco farming households have better housing quality and educational levels, and higher enterprise diversity than their counterparts. In conclusion, although households engage in tobacco farming to improve their living standards, tobacco farming is basically responsible for poor and un-sustainable livelihoods in the region. Hence, there is need to provide other alternative livelihood strategies to tobacco-growing households.