Agricultural Land Classification: Detailed Site Surveys 1989-1999

Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) survey data for sites like Charvil, E Park Farm, collected by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food between 1989 and 1999. The dataset includes scanned original paper maps, survey reports, and for some sites, unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions. It is provided by Natural England and contains Ordnance Survey data.

Use Cases

• Classify land capability for agriculture based on the detailed grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Analyze soil characteristics and variability based on the unedited sample point soils data and pit descriptions.
• Map agricultural land grades, including subgrades 3a and 3b, using the scanned original paper maps.
• Assess historical land quality for planning and policy development based on the survey period and methodology.

Strengths

• Uses the current grading methodology as described in the official 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' publication.
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b for more granular analysis.
• Contains original scanned maps and reports, preserving the detail of surveys conducted at scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; Natural England; Ordnance Survey.

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999, producing paper maps and reports later scanned.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

null

Geography

England and Wales (specific site: Charvil, E Park Farm)