Growing Chickpeas in Lamu
Soil suitability analysis based on Lamu's nutrient profile
Generally not ideal — Lamu is poorly suited to Chickpeas. Lamu's soil (pH 6.31, slightly acidic) gives Chickpeas a suitability score of 0/100. Match fertilizer to Lamu's nitrogen and phosphorus levels for the best result.
Lamu County is a challenging environment for Chickpeas (soil-match score 0/100) and will need significant amendment before planting. Local soils average pH 6.31 — slightly acidic to near-neutral and inside the 5.5–8 band Chickpeas prefers, so no lime is usually required. Nitrogen (0.74 g/kg), phosphorus (9.6 mg/kg) and potassium (117 mg/kg) all meet Chickpeas's requirements, so a maintenance fertilizer programme is enough. The county's predominantly sandy soils suit Chickpeas, which favours sandy loam. At 10 m, the county sits below Chickpeas's preferred altitude range (1500–2600 m), which limits yield potential due to heat stress. On ShambaIQ's soil-match model, Chickpeas is the #86 soil match of the 106 crops we assess for Lamu County. Chickpeas's full potential is about 600 kg/acre (~KES 120,000/acre at KES 200/kg), but at Lamu's 0/100 suitability a realistic target here is closer to 0 kg/acre (~KES 0/acre) unless the constraints above are addressed.
Better matched to Lamu's soil: Sesame (Simsim), Sorghum, and Cowpeas — each scores higher on the same soil.
Soil & climate match
| Factor | Lamu soil | Chickpeas needs | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| pH | 6.31 | 5.5–8 | OK |
| Nitrogen | 0.74 g/kg | min 0.5 g/kg | OK |
| Phosphorus | 9.6 mg/kg | min 6 mg/kg | OK |
| Potassium | 117 mg/kg | min 100 mg/kg | OK |
| Rainfall | 600 mm | 150–500 mm | High |
| Altitude | 10 m | 1,500–2,600 m | Low |
Seed varieties for Lamu
Varieties suited to Lamu's 10 m altitude and 600 mm annual rainfall — 3 of 9 chickpeas varieties we list.
Economics
Fertilizer prices
Green = subsidized · (Commercial) per 50kg bag