Growing Wheat in Narok

Soil suitability analysis based on Narok's nutrient profile

Quick answer

Yes — Narok is well suited to Wheat. Narok's soil (pH 6.13, slightly acidic) gives Wheat a suitability score of 77/100. Match fertilizer to Narok's nitrogen and phosphorus levels for the best result.

Narok County is well suited to Wheat, scoring 77/100 on ShambaIQ's soil-match model. Local soils average pH 6.13 — slightly acidic to near-neutral and inside the 6–7.5 band Wheat prefers, so no lime is usually required. Nitrogen (1.63 g/kg), phosphorus (25.7 mg/kg) and potassium (234 mg/kg) all meet Wheat's requirements, so a maintenance fertilizer programme is enough. The county's predominantly clay loam soils suit Wheat, which favours clay. On ShambaIQ's soil-match model, Wheat is the #72 soil match of the 106 crops we assess for Narok County. At current prices (about KES 50/kg) and a typical 2,000 kg/acre yield, a well-managed Wheat crop here can gross roughly KES 100,000 per acre.

77Suitability score

Soil & climate match

FactorNarok soilWheat needsStatus
pH6.136–7.5OK
Nitrogen1.63 g/kgmin 1.2 g/kgOK
Phosphorus25.7 mg/kgmin 20 mg/kgOK
Potassium234 mg/kgmin 150 mg/kgOK
Rainfall800 mm450–950 mmOK
Altitude1,700 m1,800–3,000 mLow

Planting calendar for Narok

Long Rains· April–JuneMain season here

April
Drilling Sowing & Basal Fertilizer
May
Top Dressing & Weed Control
June
Pest Monitoring & Protection

Short Rains· October–December

October
Sowing & Basal Fertilizer
November
Top Dressing & Weed Control
December
Pest Monitoring

Dry Season· February–April

February
Post-Harvest Processing
March
Land Resting
April
Dry Planting Preparation

Top dressing guide

Product
CAN
Timing
Tillering stage (Week 3–4)
Instruction
Apply at tillering for maximum tiller development
Bags per acre in Narok
1

Narok's nitrogen (1.63 g/kg) already meets Wheat's 1.2 g/kg requirement, so this is a maintenance rate.

Seed varieties for Narok

Varieties suited to Narok's 1,700 m altitude and 800 mm annual rainfall — 2 of 2 wheat varieties we list.

KS MwambaHighland
Kenya Seed Company · 130-150 days · 30-35 bags/acre
Stem rust resistant; strong lodging resistance.
RobinHighland
KALRO · 120-140 days · 28-32 bags/acre
Consistent performance across environments.

Economics

Market priceKES 50/kg
Expected yield in Narok1,925 kg/acre
Estimated revenueKES 96,250/acre
Adjusted for Narok's 77/100 suitability. Under ideal conditions Wheat can reach 2,000 kg/acre (~KES 100,000/acre) — attainable here only after the climate and soil constraints below are addressed.

Preferred textureClay

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