Growing Sunflower in Taita Taveta

Soil suitability analysis based on Taita Taveta's nutrient profile

Taita Taveta County is well suited to Sunflower, scoring 89/100 on ShambaIQ's soil-match model. Local soils average pH 6.64 — neutral and inside the 6–7.5 band Sunflower prefers, so no lime is usually required. The main gap is potassium — measured at N 0.97 g/kg, P 12.9 mg/kg, K 104 mg/kg against this crop's medium/medium/medium demand — so the fertilizer plan below prioritises closing that deficit. Sunflower prefers sandy soils, while Taita Taveta is largely loam, so drainage and organic-matter management matter more here. On ShambaIQ's soil-match model, Sunflower is the #11 soil match of the 106 crops we assess for Taita Taveta County. At current prices (about KES 48/kg) and a typical 750 kg/acre yield, a well-managed Sunflower crop here can gross roughly KES 36,000 per acre.