Divisi
When to plant Fonio in Niger
Known here as acha
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 | 5 Jul 2027 – 15 Jul 2027 opens in 40 weeks | 17 Nov 2026 – 26 Nov 2026 |
| Expected harvest | 0.9–1.1 t/ha | about 1.5 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 3 Sep 2027 to 12 Nov 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 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 5 Jul 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
No seasonal forecast reaches Niger yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 15 Jul 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Niger
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 76% |
For fonio in Niger, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 76%. 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 Niger
| 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 382 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 13 mm in the driest of 67 districts to about 644 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 382 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.6 °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 one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 89% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 50 mm · July to September |
|---|---|
| 10% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 86 growing days · about 410 mm · June to September |
last updated 18 September 2026 · from all 67 areas within it
Limited water holds back about 25% of yield here.
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 Niger
| Nitrogen (N) | About 20 kg per hectare |
|---|---|
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 6 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 20 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 Niger 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 Niger?
Niger rates as favourable for fonio.
When should I plant fonio in Niger?
Typically 5 Jul 2027 to 15 Jul 2027, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Niger, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
