Divisi
When to plant Fonio in Etimboue
Ogooue-Maritime, Gabon
Fonio (Digitaria exilis) — also called acha, hungry rice, findi or fundi — is West Africa's ancient small grain and the fastest cereal in the world: early types give grain in about 70 to 85 days, some in as little as 6 to 8 weeks.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 2 Sep 2026 – 31 Mar 2027 open now | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 1.3 t/ha | same |
| Harvest | From 1 Nov 2026 to 29 Jul 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 60–120 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 82–175 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 15 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Etimboue leans dry, so these dates sit later than the long-run average. Planting on the date you are used to risks germinating into a false start and having to replant.
Planting after 31 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Etimboue
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 60% |
For fonio in Etimboue, 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 2026/27 season in Etimboue
| When the rains are expected | August 2026 to July 2027 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,952 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February, September, October, November and December look short of rain. Plant at the early end of the window, favour quicker and more drought-tolerant crops, and keep moisture in the soil: mulch, and weed early. |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +0.8 °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 a long crop, or two in a year, 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 97% of this area. |
| 97% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 317 growing days · about 1,880 mm · September to July |
|---|---|
| 3% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 313 growing days · about 1,830 mm · September to July |
last updated 17 September 2026
What fonio needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sand or sandy loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.0 and 6.5 |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen and phosphorus |
What it takes to grow fonio in Etimboue
| Nitrogen (N) | About 26 kg per hectare |
|---|---|
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 8 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 26 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 | 82–175 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a fonio 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 Fonio with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Etimboue 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.
Fonio 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 fonio grow well in Etimboue?
Etimboue rates as favourable for fonio.
When should I plant fonio in Etimboue?
Typically 2 Sep 2026 to 31 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Etimboue, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
