malawi, tobacco & us

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Malawi, Tobacco & U s

Getting started 1. What is the best way to protect

the environment? 22. What is sustainable development? 4

Main activities 3. Tobacco and the environment:

what’s the problem? 74. Going up in smoke:

tobacco farming in Malawi 13

Sustainability

Scotdec Global Learning Centrewww.scotdec.org.uk

http://www.scotdec.org.uk


Malawi, Tobacco & U sSustainability

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1. What is the best way to protect the environment?

To explore what pupils think and know about the impact our choices have on the environment.

To reflect on the connections between environmental actions and global impacts.

To consider their own role in taking action for the environment.

� Set of ‘best way to protect the environment’ cards for each group – see page 3

Arrange the class into groups and give each group a set of cards which they should spread out on the table in front of them. Ask them: what is the best way to protect the environment? Individually, using the ideas on the cards, they must decide what the most important way to protect the environment is and what the least important is. They can share their thinking with a partner.

Next ask them, as a group, to arrange the 9 cards into a diamond pattern with the most important idea at the top and the least important at the bottom and the others ranked in between. They need to reach a consensus as a group as to where the cards should go.

As a whole class, share the most important and least important cards and see how similar the responses were.

Next ask the pupils to arrange the cards into 3 categories: transport, consumption and waste. In groups, they should select a card from each category which they think will have the most impact on protecting the environment.

The suggested best answers are: � Transport – highest score ‘buy food grown

by local farmers’.� Consumption – highest score ‘only buy what

you need’.� Waste – highest score ‘start a compost heap’

or ‘give unwanted items to charity’.

Hold a plenary discussion on why some activities have a greater impact than others.

Why does recycling have a low score?Why is it better to reduce and reuse?

How easy or difficult is it to carry out these activities?What activities do we already do at school? At home?Can we make a difference to the environment?Are there any other ways we can protect the environment?

Activity adapted from ‘How do we know it’s working?’ http://risctoolkit.org.uk


http://risctoolkit.org.uk



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Cards

Buy food grown by local farmers

What is the best way to protect the environment?

Never waste water

Give unwanted items to charity shops

Walk to school

Only buy what you need

Give money to save a panda

Save electricity

Recycle everything you can

Start a compost heap in your garden




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2. What is sustainable development?

To reflect on changes or ‘developments’ within our local communities

To think critically about what is sustainable development.

� Copies of Our Community worksheet – see page 5

� Large space to move and music if desired� Copies of What is development? statement

cards (one card per pupil) – see page 6 � Two flip-chart sheets marked

‘sustainable development’ and ‘unsustainable development’

� Post-it notes

For homework, pupils need to discuss with a neighbour or relative the questions on the Our Community worksheet and note down their thoughts.

In groups, ask pupils to discuss what they learned from their parents or neighbours about the developments or changes which have taken place in their community over the last ten years. Feedback key thoughts from class and map on a timeline.

Hand out the What is development? statement cards so that pupils have one each. Give everyone a couple of minutes to read their card. Explain that everyone has to start moving around the room when the music starts. When the music stops, pupils have to turn to the person standing nearest to them and discuss which of the 2 statements are more likely to represent

‘sustainable development’. It doesn’t matter if they pair up with a pupil with the same card as they may have a different perspective.

After a couple of minutes, the music should begin again. The pair swap cards and move off with their new card. The teacher should stop the music three or four times in total. Each time the pupils debate what's on their new card.

Then ask all pupils to stand in a large circle with the two sheets marked ‘sustainable development’ and ‘unsustainable development’ in the middle. Now explain to pupils they are to decide if they agree or disagree with their statement, but all in silence. The first pupil should stick their card onto the appropriate sheet. The following pupils do similarly but can also move one other statement to the opposite sheet. Nobody should comment during this stage.

Now ask if the pupils are happy with the placement of the cards. Hold a plenary discussion with the pupils using the prompts below.

Which cards were hard to agree on? Why?What do you think makes a place ‘developed’? Have your views changed after discussing them with your peers?

Give pupils the definition of 'sustainable development' below and reflect on what it means: “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without limiting the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

Activity adapted from www.ourforestourfuture.org (Scotdec)


http://www.ourforestourfuture.org



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Worksheet

Our community

What developments/ changes have happened to the local community over the last ten years?

Research with someone at home or a neighbour if you are new to the area.

Do you think these changes have been for the better?

From whose point of view?

Do you know who made the decisions about the changes?

Did you have a say in any of them?




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Worksheet

Development statements

Access to food and water and social housing so that everyone has enough for

their basic needs.

Access to mobile communication devices.

Fast public transport which is cheap.

Looking after the environment and preserving it for

the future.

Space travel and exploring the deep oceans.

Keeping a close-knit community in which you

can express and take pride in your culture.

Education for everyone which allows them to make choices about

their own future.

A wide range of products for sale.

Long life expectancy and access to health services.

More spending power through higher wages.




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3. Tobacco and the environment: what’s the problem?

To find out about the impact the tobacco industry has on the environment.

To explore the interconnectedness of tobacco growing, environmental damage and health risks.

� Infographic sheet for each issue – see page 8

� Consequence chain worksheets (there are 3 in total – each pair needs 1 worksheet) – see pages 9-11

Introduce the idea that growing tobacco is bad for people's health but it is also bad for the environment. Ask the class if they have any ideas on how tobacco is bad for the environment. Each pair is going to be finding out about one of these areas: forest clearance, litter or toxic waste and its consequences.

� Tobacco leaves need to be dried or cured. In many countries this is done over fires. Trees are cut down to make fuel for these fires.

� Tobacco farms use lots of fertilisers and pesticides. Poisonous waste from these can get into the water system.

� Smoking produces lots of waste such as cigarette ends and packaging. This is a big source of litter in Scotland and the wider world.

Explain that, in pairs, they are going to explore one of these issues and think about what the consequences might be by completing a consequences chain. Each pair must complete one chain using the informatioin sheet to help.

Pairs then link up with 2 other pairs, each with a different issue, and share their results.

Hold a class discussion using the following questions: � Which issues are environmental?� Which issues are health risks?� Which issues are both? � How do these concern us?� What connects our health to the environment?

For further information ASH Scotland have a fact sheet on tobacco farming – see page 12.




Infographic worksheet

Tobacco and the environment: what’s the problem?

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Tobacco leaves need to be dried or cured. In many countries this is done over fires. Trees are cut down to make fuel for these fires.

Tobacco farms use lots of

fertilisers and pesticides.

Poisonous waste from these can

get into the water system.

Smoking produces lots of waste such as cigarette ends and packaging. This is a big source of litter in Scotland and the wider world.




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Worksheet Consequence chain

Smok

ing

prod

uces

lo

ts o

f was

te s

uch

as c

igar

ette

end

s an

d pa

ckag

ing.Ci

gare

ttes

are

one

of

the

mai

n so

urce

s of

litt

er o

n be

ache

s ac

ross

the

wor

ld.

Fish

and

oth

er

mar

ine

life

is

dest

roye

d.Po

lluta

nts

ente

r th

e fo

od c

hain

. H

arm

ful b

acte

ria

can

ente

r the

hu

man

food

cha

in.




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Tree

s cu

t dow

n fo

r fire

s to

dry

the

toba

cco

leav

es. Tr

ees

prot

ect t

he

soil

from

the

rain

.

Wit

hout

them

the

soil

is w

ashe

d aw

ay.

Crop

s do

n’t g

row

w

ell i

n th

e po

or s

oil.

Not

eno

ugh

food

is

gro

wn

to fe

ed

ever

yone

.




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Toba

cco

farm

s us

e lo

ts o

f fer

tilis

ers

and

pest

icid

es.Po

ison

ous

was

te

from

thes

e ca

n ge

t int

o th

e w

ater

sys

tem

.

Peop

le s

wim

an

d w

ash

in

the

wat

er.

Peop

le

beco

me

sick

fr

om th

e di

rty

wat

er.

Mon

ey m

ust b

e fo

und

to b

uy

med

icin

e.




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Action on Smoking & Health (Scotland) (ASH Scotland) is a registered Scottish charity (SC 010412) and a company limited by guarantee

(Scottish company no 141711) 8 Frederick Street | Edinburgh | EH2 2HB. 0131 225 4725

www.ash.scot [email protected]

How tobacco farming affects people’s lives tobacco production in developing nations increased 180% from 1961 to 2009; in 2008, they provided 90%

of the world’s tobacco leaf tobacco farming displaces food crops – globally, 5.3 million hectares of land suitable for farming are

currently under tobacco cultivation - this land could feed 10-20 million people employment in tobacco fields includes practices such as very low wages and child labour – in some

developing countries during peak labour demands, children may even be withdrawn from school to work in tobacco fields

farm workers can suffer severe health impacts such as increased cancer risks from exposure to chemicals and the nicotine-induced illness, green tobacco sickness, caused by skin exposure to tobacco leaves

________________________________________________________________________________________ How tobacco farming affects the environment tobacco is usually produced as a monocrop, which means it requires large quantities of agrochemicals

(eg pesticides, fertilisers, and herbicides) to ward off pests and diseases tobacco ranks sixth among all agricultural trade goods in the amount of pesticides used per acre unlike many food crops, tobacco production offers no replenishment to the soil or to other parts of the

farm ecosystem turning food-growing land into barren waste tobacco farming also causes deforestation for growing space and fuel wood for the curing process – in

Tanzania alone, over 61,000 hectares of forests are lost every year due to tobacco growing and curing agrochemical use and deforestation cause both ecosystem disruptions and soil degradation ecosystem disruption causes a loss of biodiversity (pesticides harming birds and other small animals),

decline of ground water resources, and reduced land resources such as timber for building and cooking _________________________________________________________________________________________ How tobacco affects the economy in developing countries exploitative buying practices and unfair contracts promoted by the tobacco industry trap famers in

cycles of poverty, push farmers into debt, and create conditions that promote child labour farmers who grow only tobacco are at the mercy of tobacco agents who can decide to cut the price they

are paid without any notice, creating financial insecurity, whereas those who grow food crops can harvest food produce and sell it at market the next day

the costs of tobacco use encompass increased health-care costs, lost productivity due to illness, premature death, as well as widespread environmental damage. Tobacco use is growing fastest in low- and middle–income countries, owing to steady population growth and tobacco industry targeting. By 2030, more than 80% of the world’s tobacco–related deaths will occur in these countries.

Fastfacts The impact of tobacco farming No.12 - January 2014






































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4. Going up in smoke: tobacco farming in Malawi

To reflect on the problems and solutions of tobacco farming in Malawi.

To create an issues tree of the causes, effects and possible solutions to tobacco farming in Malawi.

To draw together learning from across

the topic.

� Large pieces of paper and pens� Reflection sheet – see page 14� An issues tree – see page 15

This activity draws on learning from across the resource on tobacco farming in Malawi. It draws on learning from the following activities: Children in the tobacco fields, page 20Tobacco winners and losers, page 7Tobacco mystery, page 11We can’t eat tobacco, page 2Tobacco and the environment, page 7

Introduce the concept of the issues tree. The trunk of the tree is ‘tobacco farming in Malawi’ the roots of the tree represent the reasons why farmers grow tobacco, the branches represent the effects or problems and the leaves are some of the possible solutions.

Remind the class of some of the lessons and issues explored and ask them to create an issues tree in groups.

The issues trees can be pinned up and used to create a gallery which pupils can visit and review each other’s ideas. In pairs they can then complete the reflection sheet.

Gather responses from the reflection sheet: What made you think? What surprised you? What did you learn about tobacco farming? What other questions do you still have about tobacco farming in Malawi?

Malawi has been dependent on tobacco as a cash crop for a long time but it is increasingly not providing the income it used to. Additionally, there are problems of child labour and health for those working with the crop. Alternative ways forward are explored further in the section, 'The Future', of this resource.

For further information ASH Scotland have a fact sheet on tobacco farming – see page 12.


http://www.scotdec.org.uk/images/resources/up-in-smoke/GUIS_Childrens_Rights.pdf

http://www.scotdec.org.uk/images/resources/up-in-smoke/GUIS_Global_connections.pdf

http://www.scotdec.org.uk/images/resources/up-in-smoke/GUIS_Global_connections.pdf

http://www.scotdec.org.uk/images/resources/up-in-smoke/GUIS_The_Future.pdf

http://www.scotdec.org.uk/images/resources/up-in-smoke/GUIS_Sustainability.pdf



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Reflection sheet Tobacco farming in Malawi

What made you think?

What surprised you?

What other questions do you still have about tobacco farming in Malawi?




An issues tree

Trunk = tobacco farming in Malawi

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Leaves = possible solutions

Roots = causes

Branches = effects


malawi, tobacco & us

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