Divisi
When to plant Taro in Jonglei
South Sudan
Cocoyam, or taro (Colocasia esculenta), is a broad-leaved plant grown for its corm — a heavy, potato-like food store that swells underground — and, in some types, for its tender young leaves.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant (establish) | 5 Mar 2027 – 25 Mar 2027 opens in 22 weeks | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 11.3 t/ha | about 27.8 t/ha |
| Bearing cycle | 180–540 days per crop once the plant is established. Planting to the first harvest takes longer than one cycle. | |
| Work it takes | 111–233 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 63% | |
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 5 Mar 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Jonglei is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 25 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Jonglei
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 60% |
For taro in Jonglei, 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 2026 season in Jonglei
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | May 2026 to October 2026 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 648 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 591 mm in the driest of 11 districts to about 823 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 648 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.7 °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 | 3 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 58% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 209 growing days · about 750 mm · April to November |
|---|---|
| 38% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 163 growing days · about 640 mm · May to October |
| 3% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 280 growing days · about 1,110 mm · March to December |
last updated 17 September 2026 · from all 11 areas within it
Limited water holds back about 40% of yield here.
What taro needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | clay loam, clay or loam |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.5 and 6.5 |
| Spacing | 70 cm between rows, 70 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | potassium |
What it takes to grow taro in Jonglei
| Planting material | About 24,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 51 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 25 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 85 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 | 111–233 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a taro 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 Taro with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Jonglei 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.
Taro 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 taro grow well in Jonglei?
Jonglei rates as favourable for taro.
When should I plant taro in Jonglei?
Typically 5 Mar 2027 to 25 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Jonglei, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
