Land Use Policy 2015.

This Land Use Policy, 2015 is a sectoral policy document at the national level. The vision of this Policy is to make optimum use of available Land and Land Resources (LLRs) in pursuit of sustainable social, economic and ecological developments and prosperity of the country as well. The mission/goal of this Policy is to manage lands in a sustainable manner by developing a specific land use system through Land Use Plans (LUPs).
The Policy outlines the problem causing adverse effect on food security thanks to reduced agricultural produce and low productivity because of rampant use of arable land into non-agricultural purposes and most of all arable lands fallen barren and growing of uncontrolled land fragmentation, and the challenge to ensure guarantee of food security through boosting up agricultural produces and productivity upon preserving of arable lands and management thereto. Proposed policy directions include: Optimum use and protection of arable lands shall be ensured of upon discouraging of non-agricultural use of arable lands and the trend of keeping land fallow and rampant fragmentation. Strategies include: 1. In order to protect and promote agricultural sector, grants, facility/subsidy and compensation shall be ensured by discouraging non-agricultural use of arable lands and changes thereto; 2. High lands of mountainous region classified under agricultural zone shall be developed into a zone of valuable herbals, fruits, animal husbandry and pasture; 3. Lands now availing of irrigation facility and under Command Area of a planned irrigation project shall be classified into agricultural zones and those lands shall be ensured of such facility. 4. Upon specifying a minimum area of the land plot on the basis of Specific Land Use Zones (SLUZs), no one shall be allowed to make fragmentation of the land into a smaller piece; etc.
The Policy seeks to make agriculture and forestry more productive and sustainable. The Objectives of the Policy include: 1.To categorize/classify entire lands of the country into various Land Use Zones (LUZs); 2. To devise of level wise (Federal, Provincial and Local) Land Use Plans (LUPs); 3. To ensure of the use of Land and Land Resources(LLRs) on the basis of land use plans (LUPs) for protection of agricultural land, hygienic, beautiful, well-facilitated settlement and sustainable urbanization, and for forests areas including natural heritages, biodiversities and historical, cultural and religious, archaeological and areas of strategic importance; etc. Conservation and optimum use of forests and other natural heritages shall be ensured of; Priorities shall be given to preparing green certificates through mapsurveys and demarcation of forests and Reserves Areas. Forest areas having bio-track for living beings or potentially of biodiversities shall be developed into a reserved forest. Forest areas, grassy fields, habitat of wildlife and/or bird-animals shall be protected.
The Policy promotes to enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems. Proposed strategies include: 1. In order to encourage commercial agricultural/business farming in a classified agricultural zone, criteria relating to Land Consolidation shall be framed and be implemented; 2. Government may reduce grants, facilities/subsidies and assistance to the landlord not doing agriculture in a classified agricultural zone but rather may impose additional tax. Private sector shall be encouraged if they come to develop the 'unused land' under the Specific Land Use Zones (SLUZs) and Land Use Zones (SLUZs) – for the purposes of commercial farming; etc.
The Policy seeks to mitigate natural and human created-disastrous hazards. In order to keep balance between development and environment for the mitigation of natural and human created-hazards, vulnerable zones shall be identified and the provision thereof shall be made to ensure of operating of certain activities only in those zones. Upon identifying highly hazardous zones of natural disasters certain activities only shall be given to operate in such places. In order to protect sensitive zones through eyes of natural disasters, protective programs shall be allowed to operate.