26
Figure 1.1: General notes on farm subdivisions
1. 10 ha (25 acre) subdivisions should be confined to an area within 5 km of the latest Lusaka boundary. The
subdivisions should all be on arable land with either high borehole potential or having a perennial stream
within reach. Beyond 5 km from the Lusaka boundary, subdivisions should not go below a minimum
economic agricultural holding. Thus each unit to be subdivided should remain large enough to remain
economically viable as well as self-sustaining.
2. As a general rule, the size of the units to be subdivided should be calculated on the soils (as well as land
use capability) and borehole or water potential. For example, deep Makeni red soils over dolomite with high
water potential could be subdivided to 40 ha (100 acres). Similar subdivisions can be carried out on deep
colluvium or alluvium soils with perennial streams through the land.
3. Sandy soils derived from schist and with low water potential fall into two categories: (a) farms over muva
or cheta schists on the periphery of dolomite areas can be subdivided into 10 ha (25 acre) plots within 5 km
of Lusaka. Beyond this distance, these soils should not be subdivided to less than 80 ha (200 acres) per unit
of arable land; (b) basement complex schists usually with low borehole potential, high erosion hazard, and
long soil rotation required should not be subdivided to less than 160 ha (400 acres) of arable land.
4. Farms with large areas that are non-arable (classes V, VI, and VII) will need special planning to maintain
their agricultural viability. Cattle ranching is best suited for these classes. But as for farms close to Lusaka
where stock theft is rife, forestry should be considered. A green forestry belt for rock areas west and south
of Lusaka should be seriously considered. The carrying capacity of the above-named classes is one livestock
unit for 4 ha and the minimum economic herd size is 125 livestock units. Therefore the minimum size
subdivision of the above classes (V, VI, and VII) should be 500 ha (1,250 acres). This should be taken as a
guide as each farm will need to be considered individually. For instance, if a proper subdivision only covers
class V (dambo), then even 551 ha will not be viable as cattle will have nowhere to graze during the rainy
season when the dambo is too wet for cattle grazing.
5. The units to be subdivided should remain large enough so that proper rotation and soil conservation
practices may be carried out. Moreover, very small units far away from Lusaka are considered to be
uneconomic. In addition, one should take into account the physical shape of the farm in relation to the arable
units before considering subdividing the farm. The implication here is that the physical shape of a farm will
ultimately influence the manner in which subdivisions should be carried out as well as taking into account the
positions of the arable units.
VI. Demand for leasehold properties
A. Current registrations and lease transfers
Despite intentions to increase the number of leaseholds nationwide, the number of titles has
plateaued in recent years. The number of new title issuances ranged from 1,491 to 1,757 annually
between 1990 and 1992 (table 1.9). (More recent and complete data at the provincial and national
levels are represented in chapter 3.) The MOL reports that these figures are down somewhat from
earlier years, but nonetheless it is not expected that the supply of new titles would increase
substantially from these levels due to capacity constraints. Surrenders of title or repossessions by the
state for reasons of death or failure to meet land use plans or pay rents has been steadily increasing,
from 219 in 1990 to 281 in 1992. Assignments or transfers of existing leases have also been steadily
increasing, from 845 in 1990 to 1,242 in 1992. These data shed some doubt on the hypothesis that
transfer fees and subdivision policy are absolutely constraining transfers. As the pool of existing leases