Agricultural Land Classification Survey Maps and Reports for England and Wales

Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) survey data includes scanned original paper maps and survey reports for individual sites surveyed in detail between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food. Surveys use the grading methodology described in "Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales" and are mapped at scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000. Unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions are also available for some surveys.

Use Cases

• Classify agricultural land capability based on detailed soil survey methodology.
• Analyze spatial distribution of land grades, including Grade 3 subdivisions 3a and 3b.
• Integrate historical soil pit descriptions and point data for land quality studies.
• Compare land classification across sites surveyed at varying scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000.

Strengths

• Original survey maps and reports scanned from detailed site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999.
• Uses the established grading methodology from "Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales".
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b for finer analysis.

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

Government Digital Service / Natural England

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food, with scanned original documents.

Time Range

1989-1999

Geography

England and Wales (individual sites)