Agricultural Land Protection Act (ALPA), last amendment in 2024

This Act protects agricultural land as a national resource, ensuring it is used primarily for farming and maintained to preserve soil fertility and productivity. Landowners and users are required to prevent degradation, such as erosion, pollution, or salinisation, and to follow sustainable agricultural practices. In 2023, Parliament adopted amendments. These changes largely removed previous limitations on placing renewable energy facilities (e.g., solar panels, wind, biomass) on agricultural land (agri-voltaics). This is being discussed in the Constitutional Court and in 2025 the court ruled that such changes must not override core protections, restoring strict controls over land-use change and procedural safeguards. The Agricultural Land Protection Act contains a legal framework covering some of the activities envisaged for the agriculture sector in the National Action Plan on Climate Change, such as phasing out burning of stubble and plant waste on agricultural lands and promoting agricultural practices aimed at further reducing GHG emissions.