Growing Sweet Potato in Kericho

Soil suitability analysis based on Kericho's nutrient profile

Kericho County is well suited to Sweet Potato, scoring 93/100 on ShambaIQ's soil-match model. Local soils average pH 5.94 — slightly acidic to near-neutral and inside the 4.5–7 band Sweet Potato prefers, so no lime is usually required. Nitrogen (1.34 g/kg), phosphorus (23.7 mg/kg) and potassium (225 mg/kg) all meet Sweet Potato's requirements, so a maintenance fertilizer programme is enough. Sweet Potato prefers sandy loam soils, while Kericho is largely clay, so drainage and organic-matter management matter more here. At current prices (about KES 18/kg) and a typical 3,500 kg/acre yield, a well-managed Sweet Potato crop here can gross roughly KES 63,000 per acre.