When to plant Soybean in West Gojam

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Soybean

Amhara, Ethiopia

Soybean (Glycine max) is a bushy, knee-high bean grown for a seed that is rich in protein and oil — good to eat, good to sell, and it leaves the soil richer for whatever you plant next.

Soybean in West Gojam, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 5 Apr 2027 – 15 Apr 2027 opens in 27 weeks 27 Dec 2026 – 10 Feb 2027
Expected harvest about 2.1 t/ha about 3.2 t/ha
Harvest From 4 Jul 2027 to 12 Sep 2027, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 90–150 days after planting
Work it takes 68–141 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 Apr 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's rainfall outlook for West Gojam is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.

Planting after 15 Apr 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in West Gojam

Rain and temperature 96%
The soil 76%
The lie of the land 60%

For soybean in West Gojam, 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 season in West Gojam

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedApril 2026 to November 2026
Rain in a typical yearAbout 1,472 mm
This season's rainRain close to usual — plan around about 1,472 mm falling roughly when it always does
This season's heatHotter than usual — about +1.3 °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 supportsenough rain for one full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 52% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
52% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 220 growing days · about 1,410 mm · April to November
23% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 227 growing days · about 1,500 mm · April to November
17% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 215 growing days · about 1,270 mm · April to November
7% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 274 growing days · about 1,660 mm · March to December

last updated 16 September 2026

What soybean needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained sandy loam, loam or clay loam soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 6.0 and 6.8
Rain it needs About 600–1,500 mm across the season
Spacing 50 cm between rows, 6 cm between plants
Feed it most with phosphorus, potassium and sulphur

What it takes to grow soybean in West Gojam

Planting materialAbout 350,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 116 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 32 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 42 kg per hectare
In the shopsA 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 work68–141 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a soybean 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

Pest/disease risk — manageableSoil pH below the crop's optimum

Grow Soybean with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes West Gojam 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.

Or check your field first

Soybean 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 soybean grow well in West Gojam?

West Gojam rates as favourable for soybean.

When should I plant soybean in West Gojam?

Typically 5 Apr 2027 to 15 Apr 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across West Gojam, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.

Also worth considering in West Gojam

Keep going

Timing is one question. What the crop needs at every stage, what attacks it and where to sell it are the others.