2019 Impact

2019 Achievements

In 2019, the Foundation’s work focused on our three core strategic pillars: Health, Science, and Technology; Agriculture and Livelihoods; and Industry Transformation. We commissioned studies to drive progress toward changing the global tobacco and nicotine ecosystem. Currently, the Foundation provides grants that allow more than 100 international researchers to advance research in smoking cessation and harm-reduction. In Malawi, ATI held its Second Annual Agricultural Transformation Summit and continued crop diversification initiatives that may serve as models for other tobacco-dependent economies.

Discovery

The Foundation commissioned key studies in 2019 and supported ongoing research.

Global Trends in Nicotine: 2019 Update

Global State of Smoking Poll 2019

This poll serves as a follow-up to a similar poll conducted by FSFW in 2017 and provides an understanding of the experiences and challenges of smokers, their habits, and their perceptions of the risks associated with tobacco products and alternative nicotine delivery systems.

Read the Country Reports
Smoking Cessation Products and Services

Global Trends in Nicotine: 2019 Update

Laying the groundwork for the Tobacco Transformation Index, the 2019 Update builds on the 2018 Report by identifying major players in nicotine delivery, outlining their product organization and geographic focus, and quantifying their output.

Read the Report
Smoking Cessation Products and Services

Global Trends in Tobacco Production and Trade

This Agriculture and Livelihoods report investigates patterns in the production and trade of unmanufactured tobacco leaf. Historically, research has focused on trends in tobacco production, without considering trade patterns. This report thus fills an important knowledge gap.

Read the Report
Global Trends in Nicotine: 2019 Update

Insurer Perspectives on Smoking Risks

The Foundation commissioned crucial research on current practices related to insuring smokers and how these practices might be improved. Marsh & McLennan (MMC) Advantage Insights produced the report.

Read the Report
Global Trends in Nicotine: 2019 Update

Working Paper Series

In 2019, the Working Paper Series was introduced to provide preliminary and timely access to ongoing research being generated by, or closely relevant to, the Foundation’s work. The recent report, Rural Perspectives on Alternatives to Tobacco Farming and Environmental Degradation in Malawi, is the first paper in this series. It offers a rich narrative based on current challenges for tobacco farmers in the country, as well as opportunities for alternative livelihoods.

Read the Report

Research reports and journal articles by the Foundation and its partners that were published prior to 2019 can be accessed here.

In Malawi

Our affiliate, the Agricultural Transformation Initiative (ATI), is preparing smallholder farming communities for a future of reduced tobacco demand. Through ATI, we are confronting an area of deep neglect: tobacco farmers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

We continue our dedication to agriculture transformation in Malawi, an effort that involves both on-the-ground initiatives and remote research. The recent report, Global Trends in Tobacco Production and Trade, for example, identified three major economies—China, Brazil, and India—that play an outsized role in the global supply of tobacco. The findings of this report have global implications, and are of particular relevance to LMICs like Malawi. Given the country’s decreasing role as a tobacco leaf producer, there is an urgent need for diversification to alternative crops and livelihoods. Our goal is to make the agriculture sector in Malawi and the southern Africa region globally competitive.

In November 2019, ATI convened the Second Annual Agricultural Transformation Summit, which brought together experts and stakeholders to discuss issues on the theme: “The Role of Inclusive Science, Technology, and Innovation in Driving Agricultural Transformation.” Renowned journalist Femi Oke moderated again this year; and William Kamkwamba, best-selling author of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, delivered the keynote address.

During the Summit, the Centre for Agricultural Transformation (CAT) hosted the “AgTech Challenge,” a science fair inviting students to present solutions for challenges faced by Malawian groundnut farmers. Mr. Kamkwamba served as a mentor for the students, marking the first in a series of projects on which he and the CAT staff will collaborate. These efforts, like other ATI initiatives, are gender inclusive and aim to address the particular needs of female farmers.

The goal of the CAT is to help transform Malawian agriculture systems and the lives of smallholder farmers by enhancing access to innovation in agricultural science through a range of commercialization channels.

Centers of Excellence


The Foundation has awarded grants to a number of world-renowned researchers who are spearheading innovative smoking cessation and harm reduction projects. Meet three individuals who are leading Centers of Excellence (COE).

Marewa Glover, PhD

An indigenous behavioral scientist and 2019 finalist for New Zealander of the year, Marewa has worked on reducing the health burden from smoking for over 25 years. She leads the Centre of Research Excellence: Indigenous Sovereignty & Smoking in New Zealand, building indigenous peoples’ capacity to reduce the harms from tobacco. This research addresses, among other things, how the tobacco epidemic uniquely affects women in often-overlooked communities. The Centre’s outputs include the following reports and scientific articles:


Jed Rose, PhD

Co-inventor of the nicotine patch and Director of the Duke Center of Smoking Cessation, Jed has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed articles and is the recipient of numerous grants from the National Institutes of Health. His work is devoted to the discovery of novel compounds and innovative, personalized treatments to improve the efficacy of smoking cessation therapy.

Riccardo Polosa, MD, PhD

A respiratory physician and harm reduction expert, Riccardo is the director of the Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR) at the University of Catania. The CoEHAR’s research program encompasses developed and developing countries and uses a multidisciplinary approach to better understand harm reduction. Its projects include, for example, the chemical characterization of nicotine products and multiyear cohort studies. CoEHAR’s 2019 outputs include the following peer-reviewed articles:


The grantee network also features researchers from a number of prominent academic institutions, including Yale University, the University of Minnesota, and Stellenbosch University.


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