Divisi
When to plant Rice in Western Area Urban
Western, Sierra Leone
Rice is a grass that lives on water.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 24 Apr 2027 – 1 Sep 2027 opens in 29 weeks | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 4.7 t/ha | about 6.1 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 23 Jul 2027 to 29 Jan 2028, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 90–150 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 69–107 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 24 May 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Western Area Urban 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 1 Sep 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Western Area Urban
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 76% |
For rice in Western Area Urban, 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 2026 season in Western Area Urban
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | April 2026 to December 2026 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 2,990 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — September and October 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 +0.7 °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 full main crop, 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 87% of this area. |
| 87% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 253 growing days · about 2,990 mm · April to December |
|---|---|
| 13% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 251 growing days · about 2,930 mm · April to December |
last updated 17 September 2026
Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% of yield here.
What rice needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | loam, clay loam or clay |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.5 and 7.0 |
| Spacing | 20 cm between rows, 20 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen and zinc |
What it takes to grow rice in Western Area Urban
| Planting material | About 600,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 70 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 24 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 103 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 | 69–107 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a rice 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 Rice with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Western Area Urban 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.
Rice 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 rice grow well in Western Area Urban?
Western Area Urban rates as favourable for rice.
When should I plant rice in Western Area Urban?
Typically 24 Apr 2027 to 1 Sep 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Western Area Urban, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
