Divisi
When to plant Arabica coffee in East Gojam
Amhara, Ethiopia
Known here as buna
Arabica is the cool-highland coffee — a small evergreen tree kept pruned to about your own height (1.5–2 m) so you can pick standing on the ground.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant (establish) | 3 Apr 2027 – 23 Apr 2027 opens in 26 weeks | 29 Aug 2026 – 17 Nov 2026 |
| Expected harvest | about 1.3 t/ha | same |
| Bearing cycle | 210–270 days per crop once the plant is established. Planting to the first harvest takes longer than one cycle. | |
| Work it takes | 140–280 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 81% | |
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 13 Apr 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's outlook for East Gojam 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 23 Apr 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in East Gojam
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 60% |
For arabica coffee in East Gojam, 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 East Gojam
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | April 2027 to November 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,199 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning wet — October and November 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 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 full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 37% of this area. |
| 37% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 224 growing days · about 1,270 mm · April to November |
|---|---|
| 20% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 220 growing days · about 1,270 mm · April to November |
| 16% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 170 growing days · about 890 mm · May to October |
| 10% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 155 growing days · about 730 mm · May to October |
last updated 16 September 2026
What arabica coffee needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam, loam or clay loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.0 and 6.0 |
| Spacing | 200 cm between rows, 200 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | potassium, zinc and boron |
What it takes to grow arabica coffee in East Gojam
| Planting material | About 2,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 52 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 6 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 69 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 | 140–280 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a arabica coffee 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 Arabica coffee with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes East Gojam 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.
Arabica coffee 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 arabica coffee grow well in East Gojam?
East Gojam rates as favourable for arabica coffee.
When should I plant arabica coffee in East Gojam?
Typically 3 Apr 2027 to 23 Apr 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across East Gojam, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
