DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6322682
title: Land Capability for Agriculture (LCA)

description: The National scale land capability for agriculture spatial dataset provides information on the types of crops that may be grown in different areas dependent on environmental and soil characteristics. This map covers the entire country and it can be used to determine the areas most suited to growing crops or grazing livestock. 

The digital dataset contains information on the 'class' of soil. Soil classes range from Class 1 (land capable of producing a wide range of crops) to Class 7 (land of very little agricultural value). Land within Class 3 is subdivided to provide further information on potential yields; Classes 4 and 5 are further divided to provide information on grasslands; Class 6 is divided on the quality of the natural vegetation for grazing.  Classes 1 to 3.1 are known as prime agricultural land.

The Land Capability for Agriculture assessment was carried out in 1981 using data collected between 1978 and 1981.  The National scale land capability for agriculture map was then created in 1983 at a scale of 1:250 000. The map should be cited as: 'Soil Survey of Scotland Staff (1981). Land Capability for Agriculture maps of Scotland at a scale of 1:250 000. Macaulay Institute for Soil Research, Aberdeen.10.5281/zenodo.6322683'.

There is an accompanying booklet that describes the classification in more detail and set out the rules and guidelines to be used. This booklet should be referenced as:  Bibby, J.S., Douglas, H.A., Thomasson, A.J. and Robertson, J.S. (1991) Land capability classification for agriculture. Soil Survey of Scotland Monograph. The Macaulay Institute for Soil Research. Aberdeen. ISBN -0-7084-0508-8.

The spatial dataset is provided under the James Hutton Institute open data licence included within the zipped dataset.

The maintenance of this dataset is funded by the Rural & Environment Science & Analytical Services Division of the Scottish Government. The data can also be downloaded from or viewed at  https://www.hutton.ac.uk/soil-maps/ or viewed at  https://soils.environment.gov.scot.

THE CLASSESClass 1. Land capable of producing a very wide range of crops with high yieldsClass 2. Land capable of producing a wide range of crops with yields less high than Class 1.Class 3. Land capable of producing good yields from a moderate range of crops.Class 4. Land capable of producing a narrow range of crops.Class 5. Land suited only to improved grassland and rough grazing.Class 6. Land capable only of use as rough grazing.Class 7. Land of very limited agricultural value.
description: The Land capability for agriculture maps have been digitised from the paper copies which contain additional information on land capability for agriculture class, division and limitation type. Copies of the original maps were published as five separate sheets with an associated handbook. 

 Please note that subsequent to the publication of the National LCA map, a series of more detailed 1:5000 scale maps and digital datasets were produced for the more agriculturally productive areas. These 1:50 000 scale maps are more detailed and were compiled more recently,  involved more field checking and liaison with government and with research and agricultural organisations such as the Scottish Agricultural Colleges and the National Farmers Union of Scotland.
These two maps (and associated digital data) do not necessarily show the same classification in the same area. By necessity, the smaller scale 1:250 000 scale map often represents an aggregation of different classes represented on the larger scale map, which can include land of both higher and lower quality than that depicted. The larger scale allows more disaggregation of the landscape into its component units and can show a more complex pattern of map units.
 The two map scales do not match along the edge at which they meet. This is largely a function of the fact that more detail can be represented at  the 1:50 000 scale than at 1:250 000 scale. 
 New information was collected between the different map production dates which led to a reclassification of some soils.
The spatial data have been digitised from the paper copies, so in that respect the hard copy maps are the definitive assessments; minor digitising errors may still reside within the digital data. In addition, the hard copy maps display LCA class, division and limitation type; the digital data does not include limitation type.