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Table 4.1 List of selected laws regulating agriculture in Zambia
No. Legal instrument Purpose
3. Fisheries Act No. 22 of 2011 • Promotion of sustainable development of fisheries and a precautionary approach in fisheries management, conservation, utilization and development;
• Establishment of fisheries management areas and fisheries management committees;
• Regulation of commercial fishing and aquaculture;
• Establishment of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Fund
(...)

Before state land can be bought and a title deed issued, "state consent", issued by the Commissioner of Lands, must be obtained. With respect to customary lands, the following documents are required: written consent of the area Chief and approval of the District Council in the area; in the case of game management areas, approval from the Director General of the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) is required. The authorities recognize that out of the estimated 1.5 million small-scale farmers, only 3% have title deeds; and the lack of title deeds, in many cases, discourages small-scale farmers from adopting a sustainable, long-term land management approach.

During the review period, Zambia notified to the WTO that it did not subsidize its exports of agricultural goods for the period 2003-10. It also notified that during calendar years 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012, all domestic support related to Green Box measures. The main areas of public support were development programmes in the framework of the Fertilizer Support Programme; research; agro-economic services; veterinary and phytosanitary services and quality control; resource conservation and environmental management; as well as actions related to public stock holding for strategic food reserves.

The Department of Fisheries in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock is mandated through the Fisheries Act to manage the fisheries resources of the country. In order to ensure sustainable utilization of the fisheries resources in line with the provisions of the Act, the following control measures are employed:
• An annual fishing closure, from 1 December to 28 February the following year, to protect the breeding of the commercially preferred species (mostly Tilapia species) whose breeding peaks in this period;
• A mesh size restriction of not less than 50 mm for all stationary gillnets;
• The introduction of permanently closed areas as sanctuaries and breeding grounds for commercially important species; and
• A complete ban on the use of certain destructive fishing methods such as the forcefully driving of fish into set nets, use of explosives, use of weirs targeting migratory fish, and beach seine nets operated in shallow waters, which incidentally destroy fish nests and foul the water by stirring up silt.

The forestry sub-sector as a whole contributes to about 5.2% of Zambia's GDP. The total national biomass is estimated at 6 billion tonnes. There are approximately 2.8 billion tonnes of carbon stored in Zambian forests. The potential for increased carbon sequestration from the terrestrial forests in Zambia is generally high due to the high total growing stock of the forests and the potential for reducing emission from the forests. Over 65% of the forests are secondary regeneration with active growth potential.

(...) The forestry sub-sector has great potential for (...) carbon sequestration and trade. (...)

The country has a new National Forestry Policy since 2014. It aims to reduce deforestation and forest degradation. It is also focused on ensuring increased forest cover and enhanced carbon stocks through integrated participatory forest management, improved law enforcement and private sector investment.

The sub-sector faces several challenges, including low investment, safety and health risks related to the use of old technology in the production of forest products, and a lack of innovative and incentive-based mechanisms to encourage stakeholder participation in sustainable forest management.

According to the authorities, the new policy will explore appropriate approaches to developing value addition and sustainable resource management.

The Ministry of Mines, Energy and Water Development is responsible for the mining policy in Zambia. During the review period, the main legislation regulating the sector (the Mines and Minerals Development Act, 2008) was reviewed and replaced by the Mines and Minerals Development (Amendment) Act, 2015. It entered into force on 1 July 2015. In substance, the Act revises regulations relating to the exploration of mining and processing of minerals; provides for safety, health and environmental protection in mining operations; and provides for the establishment of the Mining Appeals Tribunal.