Tobacco Research Targets Costs for Small Farmers

At the 70th Cooperation Centre for Scientific Research Relative to Tobacco (CORESTA) congress in Victoria Falls, Kutsaga researchers presented technologies aimed at making tobacco production more sustainable and lowering curing costs. Malawi said it wants to adopt one of the Zimbabwean research centre’s barn designs. Smallholder farmers are the intended users, and their needs and expenses shaped the work.

The costs behind production

“A barn that saves wood, a barn that saves coal can still fail the farmer,” Kutsaga research officer Engineer Owen Mudadisi said. He described KCC2, a curing barn with a redesigned duct and ventilation system that aims to distribute heat and moisture more evenly without grid electricity. Comparative trials found KCC2 achieved twice the moisture uniformity of KCC1: its coefficient of variation was 3,11 percent, compared with 5,03 percent.

Kutsaga researcher Dr Mthulisi Ngwenya outlined innovations developed to address smallholder farmers’ needs and reduce curing costs. The research has produced five barn designs: the Rocket, KCC1, Family, Gunny and KCC2. Researchers have also investigated liquefied petroleum gas, biomass briquettes and biogas as alternative energy sources. These options remain under investigation; the article doesn't report that farmers have adopted them.

A separate Kutsaga study examined fertiliser combinations during the 2023 and 2024 growing seasons. Researchers assessed chemical fertilisers alongside bio-fertilisers. The 75 percent chemical fertiliser and 75 percent bio-fertiliser treatment emerged as the most promising combination for balancing crop productivity and reducing nitrous oxide emissions.

Agricultural Research Officer specialising in soil chemistry Ms Dadirai Chinamo presented the study, titled “Mitigating Nitrous Oxide Emissions in Tobacco Cropping Systems Through Biofertiliser Use.” Head of Sustainable Agriculture Dr Kumbirai Mateva, executive director for Research and Extension Dr Susan Dimbi and chief executive officer Dr Frank Magama made up the research team. The findings give the research institution a prominent role in shaping more sustainable tobacco production, but the article doesn't describe farmer-led trials or include farmers’ own assessments of the proposed methods.

Regional demand, institutional praise

Malawi’s Agricultural Research and Extension Trust chief executive, Dr Albert Changaya, said Malawi wants to adopt KCC2. “Right now they are talking about the KCC2, which we need to actually adopt in Malawi,” he said. Changaya said Malawi would invite Kutsaga engineers to help transfer the technology. “We will be inviting the engineers from Kutsaga to go to Malawi to teach us how to do it.”

Changaya also said regional research institutions must prioritise drought-tolerant and disease-resistant tobacco varieties as climate pressures intensify. His remarks put responsibility for next steps on research institutions and their engineers. The smallholder farmers meant to benefit from the barn designs remain just that: intended beneficiaries.

The five-day congress concluded in Victoria Falls on Thursday. Zimbabwean researchers presented work on climate-smart agriculture, fertiliser efficiency and energy-saving tobacco curing technologies. United States-based Universal Leaf Tobacco Company vice-president of operations Mr Mauri Winegardner praised the development he saw in Zimbabwe. French scientist and Schweitzer-Mauduit International chief scientist Ms Diane Raverdy-Lambert praised the research output. German scientist Professor Wolf-Dieter Heller, chair of the International Organisation for Standardisation’s technical committee on tobacco and nicotine standards, called the congress impressive. Their endorsements came from corporate and standards institutions; the practical test remains whether the research can deliver the promised balance of productivity, lower emissions and reduced costs for farmers.