Cigarettes. Cigars. Tobaccos. Not only do these words carry negative connotations but they are also in reality very harmful to people's health. Tobacco contains tar and radioactive materials that deteriorate lungs and our health. In fact, according to American Cancer Society, "tobacco smoke is made up of more than 7,000 chemicals", 60 of which are known to cause cancer. However, will you be able to believe that tobacco can actually sometimes be beneficial to us and to the environment?

Many people perceive that tobaccos are not only detrimental but also deadly to our health. And, they are definitely not faulty or wrong to hold these thoughts. However, in a recent study, it has been revealed that tobacco can be used as an organic pesticide that can help prevent the spread of insects, leaf rollers etc. In fact, tobacco proves to be a more effective and much more sustainable alternative to chemical pesticides, which can usually destroy soils.

Thus, Mighty Corporation, a cigarette company in the Philippines plans to develop more healthy alternative use of tobacco to lessen Filipino farmers' dependence on the use of chemical pesticides. This, as the corporation found out, can not only benefit some Filipinos economically as this can augment tobacco farmers' income, but can also help soils remain healthy. Many organizations, such as National Tobacco Administration (NTA) and University of the Philippines in Los Banos are playing huge roles in helping this effort.

This is definitely a laudable, praiseworthy, and practical step of replacing unsustainable use of chemical pesticides against insects. According to the Manila Bulletin, "Filipino farmers make up 11.55 million of the country?s 38.6 million labor force" and "contribute to 20 percent of its gross domestic product". Insects have become prevalent in the agricultural fields and are negatively affecting the growth of many agricultural products such as crops, pineapples, mangoes, corn, coconuts etc. However, tobacco effectively addresses this issue and is an innovative solution to prevent the spread of these pests that harm the products and a definitely environmentally friendly approach to save soil.  Tobaccos can also in the short run and in the long run help farmers to grow more stable agricultural production.

Source:

http://www.mb.com.ph/filipino-firm-pushes-organic-agri-pesticide/

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/tobaccocancer/questionsaboutsmokingtobaccoandhealth/questions-about-smoking-tobacco-and-health-cancer-and-health