Agricultural diversification in tobacco growing areas is one of the proposals of the Framework Convention which is considered the first international public health treaty of the World Health Organization. The present study aimed to highlight and discuss the potentialities and weaknesses faced by State representatives, organizations of civil society and tobacco industries in the south of Brazil regarding agricultural diversification and the substitution of tobacco crops. An ethnographic type study with semi-structured interviews was developed and conducted with 42 farming families and key informants, participant observation of families from a rural area of Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, was also applied. There are public policies which are capable to potentialize diversification such as agricultural credit and technical assistance. However, tobacco growers who were surveyed have not been reached yet. It is concluded that the rescue and strengthening of family agriculture are essential for agricultural diversification and substitution of tobacco cultivation as it is proposed by the Framework Convention.
rural health; tobacco; public health; sustainable agriculture; qualitative research
