Tillage facts for kids

A farmer with a traditional horse-pulled plough.

Tillage is a way farmers prepare the soil for planting. It means loosening and softening the ground. Farmers use special tools like tillers, harrows, or ploughs. These tools can be pulled by a tractor, an animal like a horse, or even a person.

When the soil is tilled, the top layer gets broken up. This helps air and sunlight reach deeper into the soil. It also makes the soil more fertile, which means it's better for plants to grow. However, if the soil is tilled too often or too much, it can actually become less fertile over time.

Images for kids

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  Cultivating after an early rain

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  Plough tilling the field

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  Rice tillage. Valencian Museum of Ethnology.

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  A Kenyan farmer holding tilled soil

See also

In Spanish: Labranza (agricultura) para niños