African Soil Protection Law: Mapping out options for a model legislation for improved sustainable soil management in Africa - a comparative legal analysis…

Oliver C. Ruppel; Harald Ginzky

doi:10.5771/9783748908043

Summary

The protection of soil and the sustainable management of soils is a precondition for sustainable development, food security and the survival of humankind. Africa is the continent with the least land degradation. Yet, the pressure on soils is already enormous and continuously increasing due to a range of factors, including poverty, over-exploitation, population growth and climate change. Drivers of unsustainable soil management include overstocking, overgrazing, water erosion, landslides, and over-application of agro-chemicals. In light of this, the underlying legal, societal and political conditions have been comparatively analysed in “African Soil Protection Law”. Distinct country studies from Kenya, Cameroon and Zambia serve to comparatively expose the serious impediments of soil in Africa. While mapping out options for model legislation for improved sustainable soil management in Africa, the publication addresses intertwined, interdisciplinary and complex questions pertaining to soils, which may also be of comparative interest to other continents and jurisdictions.

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Bibliographic data

Edition: 1/2021
Copyright Year: 2021
ISBN-Print: 978-3-8487-6693-2
ISBN-Online: 978-3-7489-0804-3
Publisher: Nomos, Baden-Baden
Series: Recht und Verfassung in Afrika - Law and Constitution in Africa
Volume: 41
Language: English
Pages: 528
Product Type: Edited Book

Titelei/InhaltsverzeichnisPages 1 - 30 Download chapter (PDF)
Authors:
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1. Authors:
  1. Preparatory work
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  2. Project design
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  3. Selection of project countries
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  4. Processing method
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  5. Cooperation with the Pan-African Parliament
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2. Authors:
  1. Setting the scene
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  2. Authors:
    1. Framework legislation
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    2. Climate change, land and soil
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    3. Agriculture
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    4. Livestock
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    5. Industrial facilities
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    6. Mining
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    7. Infrastructure
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    8. Urbanisation
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    9. Clarity of land tenure
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    10. Control of foreign investors
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3. Institutional arrangements
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4. Procedures and procedural rights
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5. The role of science
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6. Global, continental and regional cooperation
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7. The way forward
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1. Authors:
  1. Geography and climatic conditions
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  2. Economy
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  3. Society
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  4. Authors:
    1. Legal system and legal tradition
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    2. Competence of legislation
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    3. Competence of law enforcement
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    4. The Constitution, statutory and customary law
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2. Authors:
  1. The state of the environment
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  2. Different types of soil and their vulnerability in terms of degradation
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  3. Authors:
    1. Agriculture
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    2. Mining
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    3. Wildfires, farming, hunting, and cattle rearing
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    4. Industrial sites
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    5. Urban sprawls
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    6. Demographic growth rate
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    7. Weather and climate factors
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    8. Topographic constraints
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    9. Land-grabbing
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    10. Other causes or drivers of soil degradation
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  4. Key actors in soil degradation
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  5. Conclusion
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3. Authors:
  1. Authors:
    1. International policies relevant to soil protection
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    2. National policies relevant to soil protection
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  2. Authors:
    1. Relevant international soft law commitments
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    2. Relevant international hard law instruments
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  3. Authors:
    1. The Constitution
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    2. Legislation on land tenure
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    3. Public environmental law
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    4. Environmental monitoring
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    5. Cross-cutting issues
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  4. Authors:
    1. Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
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    2. Ministry of State Property, Surveys and Land Tenure
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    3. Ministry of Environment, Protection of Nature and Sustainable Development
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    4. Ministry of Forests and Wildlife
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    5. Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development
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    6. Ministry of Urban Development and Housing
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    7. Ministry of Trade
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    8. Ministry of Mines, Industry and Technological Development
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    9. Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation
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    10. Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries
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    11. Institute of Research for Agricultural Development
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    12. Inter-Ministerial Committee for the Environment
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    13. National Consultative Commission for the Environment and Sustainable Development
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    14. Regional and local authorities
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    15. National Council for Planning and Sustainable Development of the Territory
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  5. Conclusion
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4. Authors:
  1. Authors:
    1. Relevant legal provisions
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    2. Enforcement issues
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    3. Monitoring
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    4. And what’s more?
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  2. Authors:
    1. Relevant legal provisions
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    2. Monitoring
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    3. The role of foreign investors
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  3. Industrial development
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  4. Demographic growth, urban sprawl and land-planning regulatory frameworks
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  5. Climate change law and soil degradation
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  6. Authors:
    1. Ordinance No. 74/2 of 6 July 1974 establishing the rules governing state lands
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    2. Ordinance No. 74/1 of 6 July 1974 establishing the rules governing land tenure
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    3. Decree No. 76/166 of 27 April 1976 establishing the terms and conditions for the management of national lands
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    4. Circular No. 001/CAB/PM of 1 April 2014 relating to measures applicable to investors on access to land
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    5. Law No. 85/009 of 4 July 1985 relating to expropriation on grounds of public utility and the modalities for the payment of indemnities
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    6. Traditional law
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    7. Conflicts and means of resolution
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    8. Land tenure legislation and associated land-grabbing
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    9. Relationship of landownership and environmental responsibility
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  7. Wildfires, hunting and cattle rearing
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  8. Conclusion
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5. Authors:
  1. Positive lessons learnt and opportunities for soil protection
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  2. Negative lessons learnt
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  3. Recommendations
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1. 1 Introduction
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2. Authors:
  1. Religion
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  2. Climatic conditions
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  3. Population
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  4. Literacy levels
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  5. The economy
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  6. National debt
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  7. Kenya’s political system and governance
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  8. Legislative authority
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  9. Environmental dispute resolution
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3. Authors:
  1. Kenya soil profile
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  2. Authors:
    1. Agriculture
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    2. Mining
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    3. Industrial activities
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    4. Soil erosion
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    5. Unregulated urban and infrastructural development
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    6. Climate change
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    7. Brownfield sites
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  3. Authors:
    1. Topographic features
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    2. Soil contamination
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    3. Soil compaction
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    4. Salinity and sodicity
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    5. Soil erodibility
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    6. Poor rangeland management
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    7. Loss of forest cover
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    8. Biodiversity loss
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    9. Poverty
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    10. Encroachment of fresh water and wetland ecosystems
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  4. Authors:
    1. Investors
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    2. Government
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    3. Farmers
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    4. Pastoralists
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  5. Conclusion
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4. Authors:
  1. Historical perspective
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  2. Authors:
    1. Crown Lands Ordinance, No. 21 of 1902
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    2. Crown Lands Ordinance, 1915
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    3. Native Lands Trust Ordinance, 1938
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    4. Agricultural Policy, 1944
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    5. African Courts Ordinance, 1951
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    6. Swynnerton Plan, 1954
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  3. Authors:
    1. National Soil and Water Conservation Project
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    2. Permanent Presidential Commission on Soil Conservation and Afforestation
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  4. Authors:
    1. Terraces
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    2. Conservation agriculture
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    3. Cover crop for soil fertility and erosion control
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    4. Green manure
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    5. Agroforestry
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    6. Hedges
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    7. Improved fallows
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    8. Vegetation strips
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    9. Conservation and regeneration measures
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    10. Contour farming
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    11. Trash lines
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    12. Cut-off drains, retention and infiltration ditches
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  5. Conclusion
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5. Authors:
  1. Authors:
    1. Convention on Biological Diversity
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    2. Strategic Plan for Biodiversity (2011–2020) and Aichi Biodiversity Targets (2020)
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    3. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
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    4. Land degradation-neutrality
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  2. Authors:
    1. African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 1968
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    2. Action Plan of the African Union/New Partnership for Africa’s Development Environment Initiative
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    3. NEPAD’s Initiative for the Resilience and Restoration of African Landscapes
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    4. Protocol Concerning Protected Areas and Wild Fauna and Flora in the Eastern African Region, 1985
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  3. Authors:
    1. National Environment Policy, 2014
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    2. National Land Policy, 2009
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    3. National Land Use Policy, 2017
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    4. National Climate Change Action Plan, 2013
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  4. Authors:
    1. The Constitution of Kenya, 2010
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    2. Environmental Management and Coordination Act, 1999
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    3. Forest Conservation and Management Act, 2016
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    4. Water Act, 2016
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    5. Climate Change Act, 2016
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    6. Land laws
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    7. Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Authority Act, 2013
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    8. Crops Act, 2013
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    9. Irrigation Act, 2019
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    10. Plant Protection Act, 2012
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    11. Mining Act, 2016
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    12. Environment and Land Court Act, 2011
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    13. Fertilizers and Animal Foodstuffs Act
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  5. Jurisprudence on environmental protection
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  6. Conclusion
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6. Authors:
  1. Lessons learnt
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  2. Recommendations
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  3. Elements of a soil-specific legislation
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Authors:
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1. Authors:
  1. Geographic and climatic information
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  2. Historical background, demographic information and education
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  3. Authors:
    1. Mining
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    2. Agriculture
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    3. Manufacturing
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    4. Energy
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    5. Construction
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    6. Tourism
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  4. Gross national product
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  5. National debt
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  6. Foreign investments
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2. Authors:
  1. Legal system / tradition
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  2. Competence of legislation and enforcement
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  3. Role of traditional entities
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  4. Religious considerations
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3. Authors:
  1. Mining and soil sustainability
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  2. Authors:
    1. Overstocking and overgrazing of animals
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    2. Wrong use of fertilizers and pesticides
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  3. Deforestation
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  4. Climate change effects
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  5. Poverty and demographic growth
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  6. Urbanisation
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  7. Weak governance systems
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4. Authors:
  1. Constitutional provisions on soil sustainability
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  2. Mining legislation
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  3. Authors:
    1. Fencing Act, Chapter 190
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    2. Agriculture (Fertilizers and Feed) Act, Chapter 226
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    3. Land tenure system
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    4. Environmental Management Act, 2011
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    5. Forests Act, No. 4 of 2015
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    6. Urban and Regional Planning Act, No. 3 of 2015
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    7. Local Government Act, No. 2 of 2019
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    8. Solid Waste Regulation and Management Act, No. 20 of 2018
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5. Authors:
  1. Vision 2030
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  2. Sustainable Development Goals
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  3. Seventh National Development Plan
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  4. Draft National Land Policy, 2017
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  5. National Policy on Environment, 2009
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  6. National Climate Change Policy, 2016
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  7. National Agricultural Policy, 2016
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6. Authors:
  1. Authors:
    1. Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
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    2. Southern African Development Community
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    3. African Union
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  2. Multilateral environmental treaties
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7. Authors:
  1. Environmental impact assessments
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  2. Public participation
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  3. Access to information
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8. Law concerning foreign investors
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9. Authors:
  1. The Environment Fund
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  2. Environmental audits
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  3. Environmental monitoring
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  4. Prevention orders
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  5. Protection orders
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  6. Restoration orders
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  7. Compliance orders
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  8. Cost orders
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  9. Civil and criminal prosecution
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10. Lessons learnt and recommendations
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Authors:
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1. 1 Introduction
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2. Authors:
  1. Africa in natural, historical, economic and political terms
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  2. Importance of soil
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  3. Authors:
    1. Agriculture
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    2. Mining
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    3. Industrialisation
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    4. Urbanisation
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    5. Weather and climate change
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    6. Topographical constraints
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    7. Poverty
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    8. Poor law implementation and enforcement
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    9. Illegal or illegitimate foreign investment in land
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3. Authors:
  1. International framework
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  2. National framework
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  3. The country studies’ findings
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  4. Authors:
    1. Objective and value of framework legislation and political buy-in
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    2. Constitutional provisions
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    3. Soil-related policies
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    4. Overarching soil provisions
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    5. Penalties and sanctions
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4. Authors:
  1. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change findings
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  2. Recommendations
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5. Authors:
  1. Authors:
    1. Cameroon
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    2. Kenya
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    3. Zambia
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    4. Public law
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    5. Findings
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    6. Recommendations
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  2. Authors:
    1. Summary of three country reports
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    2. Public law
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    3. Findings
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    4. Recommendations
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6. Authors:
  1. Authors:
    1. The country studies’ findings
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    2. Recommendations
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  2. Authors:
    1. The country studies’ findings
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    2. Recommendations
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  3. Authors:
    1. The country studies’ findings
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    2. Recommendations
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  4. Authors:
    1. The country studies’ findings
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    2. Recommendations
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7. Authors:
  1. The country studies findings
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  2. Recommendations
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8. Authors:
  1. Authors:
    1. Cameroon
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    2. Kenya
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    3. Zambia
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  2. Recommendations
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9. Authors:
  1. Authors:
    1. Competent authorities: Responsibilities, coordination and internal procedures
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    2. Recommendations
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  2. Authors:
    1. Drafting legislation in institutional settings is important and demanding
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    2. Coordination and clear distinction of competencies are essential
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    3. Decentralisation of responsibilities is key
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    4. Determination of appropriate level
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    5. Further mechanisms to avoid poor law enforcement
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    6. Specific control mechanisms of communities’ chiefs
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    7. Optional: extension of water authorities to water and soil authorities
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    8. National circumstances need to be considered and accordingly adapted
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  3. Authors:
    1. Environmental impact assessment
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    2. Access to information
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    3. Public participation
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    4. Access to justice
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    5. Recommendations
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10. The role of science
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11. Authors:
  1. Authors:
    1. Vision 2063
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    2. African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
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    3. The African Ministerial Conference on the Environment
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    4. The African Continental Free Trade Area
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    5. New Partnership for Africa’s Development
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  2. Regional Economic Communities
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  3. Recommendations
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12. Outlook
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Authors:
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1. 1 Introduction
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2. Namibia
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3. Uganda
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4. Mozambique
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5. Nigeria
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6. Ghana
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7. South Africa
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8. Africa relevant international regulatory framework on soil
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9. Conclusion
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Authors:
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1. 1 Introduction
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2. Composition
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3. Mandate
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4. Functions and powers
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5. Partnerships
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6. Quest for Sustainable Development
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Authors:
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1. 1 Introduction
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2. Soil and the right to food
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3. Authors:
  1. UNFCCC
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  2. Paris Agreement
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4. Soil agronomy, circular bioeconomy and supply chain management
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5. Authors:
  1. World Trade Organisation
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  2. Authors:
    1. The 1947 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
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    2. The WTO agreements on agriculture, subsidies and countervailing measures
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6. Conclusion
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