Divisi
When to plant Groundnut in Namibia
Groundnut (peanut) is a low, leafy legume that does something no other crop in your field does: it flowers above the ground, but then each fertilised flower sends a little stalk — a peg — down into the soil, and the nut grows and fills underground.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 8 Dec 2026 – 28 Dec 2026 opens in 10 weeks | 20 Jul 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 1.8 t/ha | about 4.0 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 8 Mar 2027 to 27 May 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 90–150 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 71–126 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 59% | |
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 8 Dec 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Namibia 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 28 Dec 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Namibia
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For groundnut in Namibia, 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 2026/27 season in Namibia
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | December 2026 to April 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 450 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 12 mm in the driest of 107 districts to about 679 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February 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 +2.1 °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 | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 36% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 108 growing days · about 460 mm · December to April |
|---|---|
| 32% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth no rain-fed season · about 120 mm |
| 21% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 190 mm · January to March |
| 6% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 97 growing days · about 420 mm · December to April |
last updated 18 September 2026 · from all 107 areas within it
Limited water holds back about 40% of yield here.
What groundnut needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam or sandy soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.9 and 7.0 |
| Spacing | 45 cm between rows, 9 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | phosphorus, potassium and calcium |
What it takes to grow groundnut in Namibia
| Planting material | About 247,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 99 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 18 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 54 kg per hectare |
| In the shops | A basal compound at planting — Compound D, or an NPK blend — covers the phosphate and potash. Skip the nitrogen top dressing; inoculated seed does that job. |
| Hand work | 71–126 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a groundnut 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 Groundnut with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Namibia 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.
Groundnut 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 groundnut grow well in Namibia?
Namibia rates as favourable for groundnut.
When should I plant groundnut in Namibia?
Typically 8 Dec 2026 to 28 Dec 2026, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Namibia, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
