Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Cultivation
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images & Videos
An older man in a blue shirt and gloves uses a garden hoe to weed between rows of potato plants in a lush backyard garden. Aerial view of patchwork fields on the Great Plains in North Dakota, showing cultivated farmland with green and golden brown sections stretching into the distance. cultivating soil
The Ricasoli family's wine tradition and Chianti's landscape
How new orchid varieties are created
Quick Facts
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
An older man in a blue shirt and gloves uses a garden hoe to weed between rows of potato plants in a lush backyard garden.
garden hoe A man using a garden hoe to weed potato plants in his garden.

Cultivation

agriculture
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
‱History

Cultivation, in agriculture and horticulture, the loosening and breaking up (tilling) of the soil or, more generally, the raising of crops. The soil around existing plants is cultivated—by hand using a hoe or by machine using a cultivator—to destroy weeds and promote growth by increasing soil aeration and water infiltration. Soil being prepared for the planting of a crop is cultivated by a harrow or plow. Numerous systems have been developed for the cultivation of crops in the long history of agriculture, including terrace cultivation, agroforestry, crop rotation, shifting agriculture, and others. For more information about the cultivation of soil, see tillage.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.