Abstract: Natural soil is formed into clods ranging in size from a minimum dimension of about 5 mm to a maximum dimension of about 10 cm, and a hydrophobic agent is applied to the surface of the clods to increase the contact angle of water on the exposed grain surfaces of the clods to an angle greater than 90.degree., which makes the clods water repellent. The clods thus treated are employed to form the top layer of soil. The treated clods conserve soil water by allowing maximal intake of water and by constituting a barrier which reduces water evaporation. Such soil water conservation together with other advantages enable farming on land in regions which could never successfully be farmed before.An apparatus for forming and treating the clods has a lifting device for lifting the top layer of soil of a field to a screening device for breaking up the soil to have a maximum dimension of about 10 cm and to drop the broken up soil back to the field.