Divisi
When to plant Rice in Mangwe
Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe
Known here as ilayisi
Rice is a grass that lives on water.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Moderate | |
| When to plant | 1 Nov 2026 – 11 Dec 2026 opens in 4 weeks | 9 Aug 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 1.3 t/ha | about 4.9 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 30 Jan 2027 to 10 May 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 90–150 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 69–107 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 49% | |
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 1 Dec 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Mangwe 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 11 Dec 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Mangwe
| Rain and temperature | 76% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For rice in Mangwe, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 76%. This one is fixed. It is why the planting window above is where it is — hitting those dates is the whole of your control here.
The 2026/27 season in Mangwe
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | November 2026 to March 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 491 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February, 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 +2.3 °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 short crop, and only if timed to it, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | One kind of ground throughout. |
last updated 17 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 55% 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 Mangwe
| Planting material | About 600,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 20 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 6 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 29 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 Mangwe 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 Mangwe?
Mangwe rates as moderate for rice.
When should I plant rice in Mangwe?
Typically 1 Nov 2026 to 11 Dec 2026, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Mangwe, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
