Climatch
For growers

Where can I grow barley?

Hordeum vulgare · Grain · Annual

Barley is a great fit (80+) on 97.0 million km² (37.4 million sq mi) of land in 184 countries, 38% of it only with irrigation. The most well-suited land is in Minas Gerais, Brazil, Xinjiang, China and Texas, United States. Where it can't grow, it's usually growing season too hot (64%) and growing season too cool (29%).

Crop fit≤5075100Uncolored land: won't grow

Tap the map for the score at any spot. Each square is a 28 km (17 mile) grid cell.

Great fit (80+)
97.0M km²(37.4M sq mi)
67% of land
Worth a try (50–79)
20.4M km²(7.9M sq mi)
14% of land
Great fit without irrigation
58.5M km²(22.6M sq mi)
Rain alone is enough
Countries
184
With great-fit land

Regions with the most suitable land

  1. 1

    🇧🇷Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Great fit on 550k km² (212k sq mi) · worth a try on 15k km² (5,800 sq mi)

    For example Juiz de Fora (100), Poços de Caldas (100)

  2. 2

    🇨🇳Xinjiang, China

    Great fit on 533k km² (206k sq mi) · worth a try on 15k km² (5,800 sq mi) · mostly with irrigation

    For example Ürümqi (100), Korla (100)

  3. 3

    🇺🇸Texas, United States

    Great fit on 520k km² (201k sq mi)

    For example Houston (100), San Antonio (100)

  4. 4

    🇨🇳Heilongjiang, China

    Great fit on 415k km² (160k sq mi)

    For example Harbin (100), Daqing (100)

  5. 5

    🇨🇳Inner Mongolia, China

    Great fit on 398k km² (154k sq mi)

    For example Ordos (100), Dongsheng (100)

  6. 6

    🇧🇷Bahia, Brazil

    Great fit on 341k km² (132k sq mi) · worth a try on 200k km² (77k sq mi)

    For example Jaguaquara (100), Morro do Chapéu (100)

  7. 7

    🇺🇸California, United States

    Great fit on 340k km² (131k sq mi)

    For example Los Angeles (100), San Jose (100)

  8. 8

    🇮🇳Rajasthan, India

    Great fit on 311k km² (120k sq mi) · mostly with irrigation

    For example Ābu (100), Bhuwāna (100)

  9. 9

    🇦🇷Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Great fit on 305k km² (118k sq mi)

    For example Mar del Plata (100), Avellaneda (100)

  10. 10

    🇮🇳Madhya Pradesh, India

    Great fit on 300k km² (116k sq mi) · worth a try on 17k km² (6,400 sq mi) · mostly with irrigation

    For example Chāndāmeta (100), Parāsia (100)

  11. 11

    🇧🇷Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Great fit on 291k km² (112k sq mi)

    For example Porto Alegre (100), Pelotas (100)

  12. 12

    🇨🇦Ontario, Canada

    Great fit on 281k km² (108k sq mi)

    For example Toronto (100), Ottawa (100)

  13. 13

    🇵🇰Balochistan, Pakistan

    Great fit on 260k km² (101k sq mi) · mostly with irrigation

    For example Chaman (100), Zhob (100)

  14. 14

    🇪🇹Oromiya, Ethiopia

    Great fit on 255k km² (99k sq mi) · worth a try on 33k km² (13k sq mi)

    For example Nazrēt (100), Jimma (100)

  15. 15

    🇮🇳Uttar Pradesh, India

    Great fit on 237k km² (92k sq mi) · mostly with irrigation

    For example Behat (100), Rāmpur (100)

Regions are states and provinces, counting land within 75 km of a town. At most three per country, so the list covers the world.

By country

  • 🇺🇸United States5.5M km² (2.1M sq mi) · 100% of its land
  • 🇨🇳China5.4M km² (2.1M sq mi) · 96% of its land
  • 🇷🇺Russia4.9M km² (1.9M sq mi) · 99% of its land
  • 🇧🇷Brazil2.5M km² (977k sq mi) · 42% of its land
  • 🇮🇳India2.1M km² (824k sq mi) · 66% of its land
  • 🇦🇷Argentina1.5M km² (596k sq mi) · 98% of its land
  • 🇮🇷Iran1.4M km² (540k sq mi) · 100% of its land
  • 🇲🇽Mexico1.2M km² (477k sq mi) · 77% of its land
  • 🇨🇦Canada1.2M km² (455k sq mi) · 100% of its land
  • 🇰🇿Kazakhstan873k km² (337k sq mi) · 98% of its land

Best-suited towns

  1. 100%fit

    Wrocław

    🇵🇱 Lower Silesia, Poland

  2. 100%fit

    Vologda

    🇷🇺 Vologda Oblast, Russia

  3. 100%fit

    Lyon

    🇫🇷 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

  4. 100%fit

    Vinnytsya

    🇺🇦 Vinnytsia, Ukraine

  5. 100%fit

    Christchurch

    🇳🇿 Canterbury, New Zealand

  6. 100%fit

    Islamabad

    🇵🇰 Pakistan

  7. 100%fit

    Perm

    🇷🇺 Perm Krai, Russia

  8. 100%fit

    Los Angeles

    🇺🇸 California, United States

  9. 100%fit

    Yichang

    🇨🇳 Hubei, China

  10. 100%fit

    Yekaterinburg

    🇷🇺 Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia

  11. 100%fit

    Ivanovo

    🇷🇺 Ivanovo Oblast, Russia

  12. 100%fit

    Toluca

    🇲🇽 México, Mexico

The most comfortable fits among the 2,000 biggest towns, two per region.

What barley needs

Growing-season average
Ideal 52–68°F (11–20°C)Won't grow below 41°F (5°C) or above 81°F (27°C)
Coldest growing-season night (monthly average)
Ideal at least 32°F (0°C)Won't grow below 21°F (-6°C)
Growing-season rain
Ideal 7.9–20 in (200–500 mm)Won't grow below 4.7 in (120 mm) or above 35 in (900 mm)

The most cold- and drought-tolerant small grain; malting barley wants a cool, dry finish.

Sources: FAO ECOCROP: Hordeum vulgare; FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper 33 (Doorenbos & Kassam 1979). Ranges not yet reviewed by an agronomist.

What stops it elsewhere

  • Growing season too hot64%
  • Growing season too cool29%
  • Too wet in the growing season6%
  • Nights too cold in the growing season1%

Share of the land scoring under 50, by what holds it back most.

How this map works

Every 28 km square of land is scored 0–100 against the requirements above, using 1991–2020 monthly climate averages with frost, chill and heat estimated by simulating daily weather. Each square is scored with whichever variety fits it best. “With irrigation” ignores rain shortfalls; “Rain-fed only” counts them.

Climate is only part of it: soil, slope, water and markets decide where a crop is actually farmed. Use this to shortlist places, then check them locally.

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