When to plant Teff in Awi

Amhara, Ethiopia

Known here as ጤፍ (tef)

Teff (Eragrostis tef) is a fine, tufted grass that carries the smallest grain of any cereal in the world — seed almost as fine as dust.

Teff in Awi, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure	Rain-fed	With irrigation
Fit	Favourable
When to plant	2 Apr 2027 – 5 Sep 2027 opens in 26 weeks	21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest	about 2.8 t/ha	about 3.3 t/ha
Harvest	From 1 Jun 2027 to 3 Jan 2028, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest	60–120 days after planting
Work it takes	88–174 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 Awi is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.

Planting after 5 Sep 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Awi

Rain and temperature	96%
The soil	88%
The lie of the land	76%

For teff in Awi, 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 Awi

Rainy seasons	One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expected	April 2026 to November 2026
Rain in a typical year	About 1,652 mm
This season's rain	Rain close to usual — plan around about 1,652 mm falling roughly when it always does
This season's heat	Hotter 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 supports	enough rain for one full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers	4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 39% of this area.

Agro-ecological zones covering this area
39%	enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 220 growing days · about 1,590 mm · April to November
26%	enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 159 growing days · about 1,020 mm · May to October
21%	enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 209 growing days · about 1,360 mm · April to November
9%	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 1,810 mm · March to December

last updated 16 September 2026

Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% of yield here.

What teff needs to grow here

Soil it likes	sandy loam, loam, clay loam or clay
Soil sourness (pH)	Happiest between pH 5.2 and 5.8
Feed it most with	phosphorus, nitrogen, zinc, sulphur and boron

What it takes to grow teff in Awi

Planting material	About 3,000,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)	About 84 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)	About 28 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)	About 70 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	88–174 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a teff 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 — manageable

Grow Teff with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Awi 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

Where to sell Teff nearby

Teff in nearby districts

How to grow Teff, step by step Land preparation to harvest — every task, in order

Frequently asked questions

Will teff grow well in Awi?

Awi rates as favourable for teff.

When should I plant teff in Awi?

Typically 2 Apr 2027 to 5 Sep 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

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