Divisi icon Divisi

What grows in Mathare

Nairobi, Kenya

Save as PDF

Map showing the boundary of Mathare

The 2026 season in Mathare

Rainy seasonsTwo each year — two chances to plant
When the rains are expectedFebruary 2026 to June 2026
Rain in a typical yearAbout 832 mm
This season's rainLeaning wet — January, February, October, November and December look heavier than usual. Make sure water can drain off the field; a wet year does more damage through waterlogging and disease than through the rain itself.
This season's heatHotter than usual — about +1.0 °C over the growing months. Heat makes the same rain do less, so a dry spell bites sooner: do not plant late, and shade or mulch what you can.
What that supportsenough rain for one full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 75% of this area.
75% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 195 growing days · about 750 mm · February to June
25% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 179 growing days · about 660 mm · February to June

last updated 30 September 2026

What grows in Mathare

75% sub-humid, warm — 65 crops

Rain-fed. These dates are worked out from each place's own rainfall, for a field watered by the season — with irrigation a window can open earlier, close later, or come round more than once a year. Check your own field under What grows, or get the Divisi app for a calendar dated to your farm.

What grows in Mathare with irrigation

These need water applied — rain alone will not carry them here. The dates are the windows their own water supply allows.

What Divisi would not plant in Mathare

Every crop in the catalogue is scored against this district, not only the ones that work — so the list above is a decision rather than a shortlist. These are the rest, with what ruled each one out.

  • Sugarcane Moderate
  • Cabbage Unsuitable — Temperature
  • Cashew Unsuitable — Temperature
  • Chickpea Unsuitable — Temperature
  • Cocoa Unsuitable — Temperature
  • Coconut Unsuitable — Temperature
  • Egusi melon Unsuitable — Temperature
  • Ginger Unsuitable — Water
  • Oil palm Unsuitable

Divisi scored 74 crops against this district's own ground; 9 came back without a sowing date.

Plan the season, not just check it

The crops and dates above are read at cells spread across Mathare, and the map colours which kind of ground each part of it is. Your own soil, slope and rainfall will shift the dates — the Divisi app works them out for your field, and dates each job that follows.

Or check your field first

What changed in Mathare

  • 31 August 2026 African Nightshade — Suitability class changed, now rates Favourable
  • 31 August 2026 Avocado — Suitability class changed, now rates Favourable
  • 31 August 2026 Cabbage — Limiting factor changed, now held back mostly by Water
  • 31 August 2026 Cabbage — Suitability class changed, now rates Favourable
  • 31 August 2026 Lettuce — Limiting factor changed

This calendar moves

Planting windows shift with the forecast. Leave your email and we'll send what changed, and a note when planting time nears — a couple of emails a month at most.

Where to sell it nearby

Support and extension

Frequently asked questions

What crops grow well in Mathare?

Cotton, Pineapple, African eggplant, African nightshade, Amaranth all rate well in Mathare — scored against its own rainfall, soil and terrain rather than a national average.

When should I plant Cotton in Mathare?

In Mathare the window for Cotton runs 20 Sep 2026 to 30 Oct 2026.

Is there a farming app that works in Mathare?

Divisi does. It reads Mathare's own rainfall, soil and terrain rather than a national average, so the planting dates and crop shortlist on this page are the same ones the app works out for a field here — then dates each job for that field, and keeps working with no signal.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Mathare, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.

Keep going

The district's answer is one question. What each crop needs, what attacks it and where to sell it are the others.

Crop guides Pest guides Disease guides Where to sell it Farming glossary Farming insights Read the Hive Feed How the advice is made