An abundance of soil organic carbon (SOC) generally enhances the quality of lands for agriculture or forestry.
Concentration of SOC varies in accordance to the type of land use, the inputs to the soil, and natural factors
including climate and vegetation. SOC is vital for sustaining agricultural productivity which chiefly depends on
both the inherent soil type and crop management practices affecting depletion or replenishment of organic matter
over the years. Assessment of SOC concentration is a characteristic measurement of evaluating soil quality and the
carbon sequestration potential of agricultural land. This study aims to assess SOC distribution on selected farmlands
of Nepal’s mid-hills, where farmers have adopted sustainable soil management practices in non-irrigable hill terraces
(“Bari” land) in comparison with those of surrounding Bari and forests where no such interventions are made. Thus
the present study estimated SOC content of three types of land use – farmland with sustainable soil management
practices (SSMP), farmland without sustainable management practices (Non-SSMP) and the community managed
forest in four mountain districts of Nepal, namely Baglung, Dhading, Kavre and Okhaldhunga. This study found
the average SOC stocks in the SSMP land in the range of 20 - 44 Mgha-1,those in non-SSMP agricultural areas 15 to
48 Mgha-1, and in the forested land 16 to 23 Mgha-1. In general, the abundance of SOC stocks are in the order of
SSM>Non-SSM>Forests. The analysis indicates the high potential for carbon sequestration in hill agriculture
lands through sustainable soil management.