Introduction Tobacco is a valuable cash crop worldwide and it plays an important role in the economies of many countries. Tobacco production seems to have impacts on the environment though the effects are undermined. In Zimbabwe, agriculture is the backbone of the economy and is a critical sector which significantly contributes to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employment and livelihood support for the rural majority. Agriculture and other economic activities areproducing externalities that affect the environment such as deforestation, pollution among other factors [27, 38]. Smallholder farmers mainly use natural forests as the source of fuel wood for tobacco curing resulting in deforestation. This is because natural forests are cheap to access than other alternatives like coal or electricity which are logistically and financially beyond the reach of rural majority [30]. In Zimbabwe, the heavy reliance on fuel wood for the curing of tobacco is posing a dilemma to forest policy and livelihood strategies in relation to the sustainability of the natural forests.