Soil cultivation includes all mechanical measures to loosen, turn or mix the soil, such as ploughing, tilling, digging, hoeing, harrowing etc. Careful soil cultivation can improve the soil‘s capacity to retain water, its aeration, the capacity of infiltration, warming up, evaporation etc. But soil cultivation can also harm the soil fertility as it accelerates erosion and the decomposition of humus. There is no one right way to cultivate the soil, but a range of options. Depending on the cropping system and the soil type, appropriate soil cultivation patterns must be developed.