Divisi
When to plant Cashew in Gabi /Zone 3
Afar, Ethiopia
Cashew is a tough evergreen tree that lives and bears nuts for 20 years or more.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant (establish) | 20 Jun 2027 – 20 Jul 2027 opens in 37 weeks | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 1.0 t/ha | about 2.0 t/ha |
| Bearing cycle | 60–90 days per crop once the plant is established. Planting to the first harvest takes longer than one cycle. | |
| Work it takes | 57–127 days per hectare, by hand | |
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.
If you only get one chance to plant, aim for around 30 Jun 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Gabi /Zone 3 is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 20 Jul 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Gabi /Zone 3
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 60% |
For cashew in Gabi /Zone 3, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 60%. You cannot flatten it, but you can farm it: plant along the contour rather than up and down, ridge or tie ridges to hold water on the slope, and expect shallower rooting than the crop would manage on flat ground.
The 2027 season in Gabi /Zone 3
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | June 2027 to September 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 536 mm |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 536 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.3 °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 supports | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 18% of this area. |
| 80% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 430 mm · July to September |
|---|---|
| 18% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 82 growing days · about 530 mm · June to September |
last updated 16 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 30% of yield here.
What cashew needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sand or sandy loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 4.5 and 6.5 |
| Spacing | 800 cm between rows, 800 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | sulphur, zinc and boron |
What it takes to grow cashew in Gabi /Zone 3
| Planting material | About 156 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 35 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 9 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 22 kg per hectare |
| In the shops | A basal compound at planting — Compound D, or an NPK blend — covers the phosphate and potash. A nitrogen top dressing — urea or AN — goes on once the crop is established. |
| Hand work | 57–127 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a cashew crop of that size carries off the field. What you actually apply depends on what your soil already holds — which is what a soil test, or the app's field records, tell you.
What to watch for
Grow Cashew with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Gabi /Zone 3 as a whole — 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.
Cashew in nearby districts
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.
Frequently asked questions
Will cashew grow well in Gabi /Zone 3?
Gabi /Zone 3 rates as favourable for cashew.
When should I plant cashew in Gabi /Zone 3?
Typically 20 Jun 2027 to 20 Jul 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Gabi /Zone 3, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
