Agricultural land is under threat from mining, urbanisation and renewable energy projects, and legislation on land control prevents the government from fully protecting this crucial resource.
This is according to the proposed Preservation and Development of Agricultural Land Bill, which seeks public comment to revise the Subdivision of Agricultural Land Act of 1970.
Now, the law is only applicable to privately owned land and the department of agriculture, forestry & fisheries (Daff) cannot protect agricultural communal and traditional land or that owned by the state and statutory bodies.
Some land is exempt from provisions of the act, which lacks proactive planning and spatial development guidelines and is no longer effective and efficient in the legislative and developmental planning trajectory.
It also intends to ensure sufficient land is available for food production to support national and household food security.
If passed, title holders such as tribal authorities, farmers, the government and land reform beneficiaries will reap the benefits. However, some land owners, property developers and municipalities will incur costs [they will need more staff to implement or impose levies].
Comment sought on new protection of agricultural land bill
Image: 123RV/fotokostic
Agricultural land is under threat from mining, urbanisation and renewable energy projects, and legislation on land control prevents the government from fully protecting this crucial resource.
This is according to the proposed Preservation and Development of Agricultural Land Bill, which seeks public comment to revise the Subdivision of Agricultural Land Act of 1970.
Now, the law is only applicable to privately owned land and the department of agriculture, forestry & fisheries (Daff) cannot protect agricultural communal and traditional land or that owned by the state and statutory bodies.
Some land is exempt from provisions of the act, which lacks proactive planning and spatial development guidelines and is no longer effective and efficient in the legislative and developmental planning trajectory.
It also intends to ensure sufficient land is available for food production to support national and household food security.
If passed, title holders such as tribal authorities, farmers, the government and land reform beneficiaries will reap the benefits. However, some land owners, property developers and municipalities will incur costs [they will need more staff to implement or impose levies].
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“Agricultural land is a scarce natural resource which cannot be replaced if lost to other non-agricultural uses,” read the document.
“There is a higher competition of non-agricultural uses on agricultural land resulting in the reduction of agricultural land and this has a negative impact on agricultural land if no major steps are taken at an earlier stage.
“Mining and urbanisation, as well as renewable energy projects, are seen as major threats to agricultural land resulting in such agricultural land being lost permanently.”.
It maintains that the continuous loss of agricultural land to other uses undermines the role and legislative mandate of the department in ensuring secured ecologically sustainable development of agricultural land as a natural resource.
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