Agricultural Land Classification Survey Data for England and Wales, 1989-1999

Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) survey data for sites like Andover and Bere Hill, collected by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food between 1989 and 1999. The dataset includes scanned original paper maps and reports, with land grades subdivided into 3a and 3b, and some surveys containing unedited soil sample point data. It is provided by Natural England and contains Ordnance Survey data.

Use Cases

• Classify agricultural land capability based on the detailed grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Analyze historical soil quality and land suitability trends based on the survey data collected between 1989 and 1999.
• Integrate scanned map data for land-use planning and environmental impact assessments.
• Study soil pit descriptions and sample point data for pedological research where available.

Strengths

• Data follows the established 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' methodology, ensuring consistent grading.
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b, providing finer detail.
• Some surveys contain unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (survey), Natural England (publication).

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys with original paper maps and reports, later scanned.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

Survey data is from 1989-1999; last update date for the dataset is unknown.

Geography

England and Wales, specific sites like Andover and Bere Hill.