ABSTRACT:- Tobacco industry has been associated with claims of degradation. A study in 2016 addressed the environmental impact of tobacco growing, paying special attention to soil degradation and loss of vegetation. The objective of the tree census was to evaluate the effect of afforestation programs by BAT tree planting project to its contracted farmers in Kenya that is Eastern, Western and Nyanza regions. The study targeted 517 farmers sampled from the total number of farmers estimated at 5500. Consultative and participatory approaches mainly key informant interviews, documents reviews, questionnaires and focus group discussions were used. These targeted various levels of BAT customers/beneficiaries. Desk reviews on existing secondary data and documents were undertaken for: study preparations, reconnaissance, to understand the study area, methodologies, types of land uses and micro-climates, suitable preferred tree species and their uses, benchmarking with other similar studies and to develop a comprehensive report. The study suggests three triggers that lead to vegetation loss associated with tobacco growing namely; forest degradation, deforestation due to curing and deforestation due to clearance for more growing land. The study noted that, although the global share of agricultural land used for tobacco growing is less than 1%, its impact on global deforestation is 2–4%, making a visible footprint for climate change.

Key words: Tree census, tree planting, Participatory, tobacco growing, degradation, deforestation