Tropentag 2011 University of Bonn, October 5  7, 2011 Conference on International Research on Food Security, Natural Resource Management and Rural Development Farm Management Strategies to Enhance the Farm Performance in Changing Climate: A Case Study in the Mid-hills of Nepal Nagendra Bastakoti a1 , Johannes Scholberg a and Jeroen C. J. Groot a a Wageningen University, Organic Farming Systems Group, P.O. Box 563, 6700 AN Wageningen, The Netherlands Introduction The environmental and economic sustainability of farming systems depend on sustaining soil fertility, which is affected by agricultural practices (Davis and Abbott, 2006). Soil management is one of the main agricultural practices. In Nepal, soil degradation can be severe, especially in the hilly regions (Chalise and Khanal, 1997) and may be accelerated by increase in annual temperature and erratic rainfall. Annual temperature increase in Nepal between 1975 and 2006 amounted to 0.042 ºC yr -1 while rainfall is also becoming more erratic, which increases the risk of soil degradation (Malla, 2008). In this context Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) practices are becoming the cornerstone of local cropping systems since they can enhance inherent soil fertility (SSM-P, 2000). Moreover, these systems were shown to be more effective in sustaining food production and improving livelihood especially in the developing regions where climatic conditions are changing drastically (Jordan et al., 2009).The Nepalese mid-hill region is mostly dominated by upland agriculture. According to Bronson et al., (1997) soil organic matter (SOM) is the key support factor for maintenance of soil fertility and future production potential in the upland. This is due to the fact that in the absence of external inputs (other than common natural resources (CNRs) like chemical fertilizers), SOM provides the main source for most plant nutrients (Kayal et al., 2001). Though some farmers in the mid-hill region in Nepal are adopting improved and indigenous practices for soil conservation on their farms, most of them are unaware of the ecological benefits of improved SSM- practices. Moreover, this region is characterized by low productivity because of poor soil management and crop husbandry due to lack of knowledge on for instance the use of farm yard manure (FYM) and urine, the use of slash and burn, and shifting cultivation (Tiwari et al., 2004). On the other hand, nutrient losses from FYM/compost and urine, local resources for restoring soil fertility, can also be very high. These losses are largest when urine leaching is not being prevented, FYM/compost is stored in an open space, and/or FYM is applied to the field too long prior to incorporating into the soil. In addition to excess nutrient losses, poor FYM management practices also can greatly contribute to global warming (IFOAM, 2009). Therefore, improved awareness of the benefits of sound FYM/compost management practices is critical to enhance inherent soil fertility and to reduce negative impacts of agriculture on global warming and climate change. The objective of this study was to analyse and elaborate the potential impacts of different farming practices on farm performance, and soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (N) budgets. 1 Corresponding author. Email: nagendra_bastakoti@yahoo.com