Agriculture and Environment: Tobacco

Environmental Impacts of Production: Soil Degradation

Tobacco is a demanding crop that depletes soil nutrients faster than many other crops.

This is particularly problematic where soils are already characterised by low nutrient content. When tobacco is cultivated on the same land repeatedly with minimal rotation with other crops, there is a tendency for the soil to become exhausted and for crop pests to become endemic.

This is why continuous tobacco cultivation requires ever increasing inputs of pesticides and chemical fertilisers.