ALCR07894: Detailed Agricultural Land Classification Survey for England and Wales

England and Wales agricultural land survey data from detailed site inspections conducted between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The dataset includes scanned original paper maps, survey reports, and for some surveys, unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions. It uses the grading methodology from the 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' publication.

Use Cases

• Classifying agricultural land capability based on the detailed grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Mapping soil quality and subgrades (e.g., 3a and 3b) for land use planning based on the survey's geospatial data.
• Analyzing historical soil pit descriptions and point data for soil science research where such samples are available.

Strengths

• Original survey data from a government ministry (MAFF) for a defined period (1989-1999).
• Includes detailed land grade subdivisions, specifically splitting Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b.
• Contains multiple data types: scanned maps, reports, and for some sites, raw soils data and pit descriptions.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF), provided by Natural England and the Government Digital Service.

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys with soil inspections, resulting in paper maps and reports that were later scanned.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Geography

England and Wales, specifically the Middleton, Yapton Road (Arun LP Site 11A) survey area.