Growing Sweet Potato in Kilifi

Soil suitability analysis based on Kilifi's nutrient profile

Kilifi County is well suited to Sweet Potato, scoring 82/100 on ShambaIQ's soil-match model. Local soils average pH 6.24 — slightly acidic to near-neutral and inside the 4.5–7 band Sweet Potato prefers, so no lime is usually required. The main gap is phosphorus and potassium — measured at N 0.8 g/kg, P 11 mg/kg, K 109 mg/kg against this crop's low/medium/high demand — so the fertilizer plan below prioritises closing those deficits. The county's predominantly sandy loam soils suit Sweet Potato, which favours sandy loam. At current prices (about KES 18/kg) and a typical 5,000 kg/acre yield, a well-managed Sweet Potato crop here can gross roughly KES 90,000 per acre.