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Soil conservation is the effort to avoid this destruction of the soil and to maintain it at the most productive level possible. This requires a combination of all techniques soil the techniques of soil science in preparing the land, irrigating it, fertilizing it and planting the right crops to stabilize the soil and prevent erosion.

Even when land is valued for its fertility, modern techniques of agriculture may have harmful effects. Excessive use of chemical pesticides [2] may kill off the tiny organisms in the soil that help to maintain the soil's vitality. Chemical fertilizers make it possible to grow the same crop year after year, but if there is no organic matter in the soil its fine structure may break down. This breakdown may be accelerated by the repeated passage of heavy agricultural machinery [1], which compacts the soil.

The role of soil bacteria is crucial for they not only fix nitrogen from the air in a form that plants can use but also promote the processes of decay. Animals whose homes are in the soil have an important if largely mechanical function in shifting and aerating the soil -it has been estimated that earthworms alone can turn over between one and ten tonnes of soil per hectare per year. As they eat and excrete the soil they also change its texture and composition.