Tobacco alternatives in Greece. A preliminary evaluation and classification

The CAP reform for the tobacco sector has the aim to phase out the subsidy payment for tobacco cultivation. From 2006 to 2009, a decoupled payment is provided in the framework of the Single Farm Payment Scheme. This will have great impacts on the tobacco farmers in terms of income and employment. This study is aimed at identifying tobacco alternatives in Greece, which can provide tobacco farmers with employment and income. Such alternatives have been evaluated and classified according to different criteria and this led to the drafting of a list of alternative crops being the most suitable for every region concerns. To this end, we studied two tobacco regions in Greece, the region of the Tobacco Cooperative of Elassona, in Larissa, Thessaly, and the region of Tobacco Cooperative of Toumpa, in Kilkis, Central Macedonia. The study was elaborated in the context of the research project entitled DIVTOB (Manos et al.), which is a European FP6 funded project under Priority 8 - Policy related research - Tools and assessment methods for sustainable agriculture and forestry management.