What term is used to define the act of preparing and working the soil?

The term that defines the act of preparing and working the soil is cultivation. Cultivation encompasses various agricultural practices aimed at improving soil structure, aeration, and nutrient availability, facilitating a better environment for crops to grow. This may involve activities such as tilling, weeding, and incorporating organic matter into the soil to enhance its fertility.

While plowing is a specific type of cultivation that relates specifically to turning over the soil, cultivation is a broader term that includes plowing along with other soil preparation practices. Planting refers specifically to the act of placing seeds or plants into the soil for growth, and harvesting pertains to the gathering of mature crops, neither of which involve the preparation of soil itself. Thus, the term cultivation correctly encapsulates the act of preparing and working the soil for agricultural purposes.