Impacts of Tobacco Production on Forest Resources Management in Kasulu District, Tanzania

This study was set to examine the impacts of tobacco production on forest resources management in Kasulu District in Kigoma Region. Tobacco production is one of the major causes of deforestation in Kasulu District, due to its expansion and use of wood to cure tobacco. It aimed at; first, to examine the source of energy used in curing produced tobacco, second, to examine the impacts of tobacco production on deforestation and lastly, to examine the management strategies of forest resource in the District. It employed quantitative and qualitative approaches, whereas forest transition theory guided the study. The needed data was collected from a sample of 109 respondents using questionnaires, interview observation and documentary review techniques. The research findings revealed that tobacco cultivation and curing process incurred negative impacts on forest resources adding to deforestation, soil exhaustion and pollution due to the use of agrochemicals, consequently ecological disruptions. It was also disclosed that in Kasulu District average annual of 21 645 tones of firewood was consumed in tobacco curing process between 1991 and 1995. The study noted that lack of crop substitution to enable farmers to break out of tobacco farming has contributed to the destruction of forest resources. Thus, it recommends that the government in collaboration with leaf tobacco companies to identify alternative crops that can give greater income to tobacco farmers to enable them to break out of tobacco farming