Divisi
When to plant Cassava in Hari /Zone 5
Afar, Ethiopia
Cassava is a hardy, woody shrub grown for its fat, starchy roots — a food that grows where little else will.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant (establish) | 16 Jun 2027 – 6 Jul 2027 opens in 37 weeks | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 14.4 t/ha | about 35.0 t/ha |
| Bearing cycle | 240–730 days per crop once the plant is established. Planting to the first harvest takes longer than one cycle. | |
| Work it takes | 103–180 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 60% | |
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 16 Jun 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's outlook for Hari /Zone 5 leans wet. Plant at the early end of the window, and make sure water can drain off the field — a wet year does more damage through waterlogging than through the rain itself.
Planting after 6 Jul 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Hari /Zone 5
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For cassava in Hari /Zone 5, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 88%. 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 Hari /Zone 5
| 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 537 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning wet — make sure water can drain off the field. |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.5 °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 35% of this area. |
| 65% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 390 mm · July to September |
|---|---|
| 35% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 80 growing days · about 550 mm · June to September |
last updated 16 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 50% of yield here.
What cassava 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 | 100 cm between rows, 100 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | potassium and zinc |
What it takes to grow cassava in Hari /Zone 5
| Planting material | About 10,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 71 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 36 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 101 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 | 103–180 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a cassava 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 Cassava with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Hari /Zone 5 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.
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 cassava grow well in Hari /Zone 5?
Hari /Zone 5 rates as favourable for cassava.
When should I plant cassava in Hari /Zone 5?
Typically 16 Jun 2027 to 6 Jul 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Hari /Zone 5, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
