Growing Cassava in Kajiado

Soil suitability analysis based on Kajiado's nutrient profile

Quick answer

Yes — Kajiado is well suited to Cassava. Kajiado's soil (pH 6.55, near-neutral) gives Cassava a suitability score of 83/100. Match fertilizer to Kajiado's nitrogen and phosphorus levels for the best result.

Kajiado County is well suited to Cassava, scoring 83/100 on ShambaIQ's soil-match model. Local soils average pH 6.55 — neutral and inside the 4.5–7 band Cassava prefers, so no lime is usually required. Nitrogen (0.97 g/kg), phosphorus (20.6 mg/kg) and potassium (257 mg/kg) all meet Cassava's requirements, so a maintenance fertilizer programme is enough. The county's predominantly sandy loam soils suit Cassava, which favours sandy. On ShambaIQ's soil-match model, Cassava is the #39 soil match of the 106 crops we assess for Kajiado County. At current prices (about KES 15/kg) and a typical 6,000 kg/acre yield, a well-managed Cassava crop here can gross roughly KES 90,000 per acre.

83Suitability score

Soil & climate match

FactorKajiado soilCassava needsStatus
pH6.554.57OK
Nitrogen0.97 g/kgmin 0.5 g/kgOK
Phosphorus20.6 mg/kgmin 6 mg/kgOK
Potassium257 mg/kgmin 150 mg/kgOK
Rainfall500 mm500–1,500 mmOK
Altitude1,300 m0–1,400 mOK

Planting calendar for Kajiado

Long Rains· MarchMay

March
Stem Cutting Planting
April
Weeding & Pest Monitoring
May
Growth Monitoring

Short Rains· OctoberDecemberMain season here

October
Weeding & Mound Formation
November
Pest & Disease Scouting
December
Growth Monitoring

Dry Season· JanuaryMarch

January
Harvesting (12+ months from planting)
February
Processing & Storage
March
Land Preparation for next crop

Top dressing guide

Product
None
Timing
None required
Instruction
Cassava is low-input. Excessive N causes leafy growth at expense of tubers.
Bags per acre in Kajiado
0

Kajiado's nitrogen reads 0.97 g/kg, but the rate stays at zero: Cassava is not top-dressed, for the crop-specific reason above.

Seed varieties for Kajiado

Varieties suited to Kajiado's 1,300 m altitude and 500 mm annual rainfall — 2 of 2 cassava varieties we list.

TajirikaCoastal/Dryland
KALRO · 300-365 days · 4–6 tons/acre
High yielding; tolerant to cassava mosaic disease.
ShibeCoastal/Medium
KALRO · 270-330 days · 3–5 tons/acre
Sweet variety; low cyanide content; good for table use.

Economics

Market priceKES 15/kg
Expected yield 6,000 kg/acre
Estimated revenueKES 90,000/acre

Preferred textureSandy

Fertilizer prices

DAP
KES 3,500(6,500)
CAN
KES 2,875(5,700)
NPK 17:17:17
KES 3,275(5,600)
Urea
KES 3,500(5,500)
Lime
KES 1,500(1,800)

Green = subsidized · (Commercial) per 50kg bag