Climatch
For growers

Where can I grow sorghum?

Sorghum bicolor · Grain · Annual

Sorghum is a great fit (80+) on 89.1 million km² (34.4 million sq mi) of land in 209 countries, 36% of it only with irrigation. The most well-suited land is in Pará, Brazil, Amazonas, Brazil and Minas Gerais, Brazil. Where it can't grow, it's usually growing season too cool (85%) and nights too cold in the growing season (14%).

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+)
89.1M km²(34.4M sq mi)
62% of land
Worth a try (50–79)
8.0M km²(3.1M sq mi)
6% of land
Great fit without irrigation
56.9M km²(22.0M sq mi)
Rain alone is enough
Countries
209
With great-fit land

Regions with the most suitable land

  1. 1

    🇧🇷Pará, Brazil

    Great fit on 637k km² (246k sq mi)

    For example Belém (100), Ananindeua (100)

  2. 2

    🇧🇷Amazonas, Brazil

    Great fit on 564k km² (218k sq mi)

    For example Manaus (100), Itacoatiara (100)

  3. 3

    🇧🇷Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Great fit on 559k km² (216k sq mi) · worth a try on 5,000 km² (1,900 sq mi)

    For example Belo Horizonte (100), Uberlândia (100)

  4. 4

    🇺🇸Texas, United States

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

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

  5. 5

    🇨🇳Xinjiang, China

    Great fit on 351k km² (136k sq mi) · worth a try on 58k km² (23k sq mi) · mostly with irrigation

    For example Ürümqi (100), Shihezi (100)

  6. 6

    🇮🇳Madhya Pradesh, India

    Great fit on 316k km² (122k sq mi)

    For example Indore (100), Bhopal (100)

  7. 7

    🇮🇳Maharashtra, India

    Great fit on 313k km² (121k sq mi)

    For example Mumbai (100), Pune (100)

  8. 8

    🇮🇳Rajasthan, India

    Great fit on 311k km² (120k sq mi)

    For example Jaipur (100), Jodhpur (100)

  9. 9

    🇦🇷Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Great fit on 292k km² (113k sq mi) · worth a try on 13k km² (5,000 sq mi)

    For example Avellaneda (100), Merlo (100)

  10. 10

    🇵🇰Balochistan, Pakistan

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

    For example Quetta (100), Khuzdar (100)

  11. 11

    🇨🇳Yunnan, China

    Great fit on 222k km² (86k sq mi) · worth a try on 70k km² (27k sq mi)

    For example Mengzi (100), Chuxiong (100)

  12. 12

    🇨🇳Guangdong, China

    Great fit on 219k km² (85k sq mi)

    For example Guangzhou (100), Shenzhen (100)

  13. 13

    🇪🇹Oromiya, Ethiopia

    Great fit on 216k km² (84k sq mi) · worth a try on 49k km² (19k sq mi)

    For example Dembī Dolo (100), Welench’ītī (100)

  14. 14

    🇺🇸California, United States

    Great fit on 216k km² (83k sq mi) · worth a try on 47k km² (18k sq mi) · mostly with irrigation

    For example Oroville (100), Los Angeles (100)

  15. 15

    🇵🇰Punjab, Pakistan

    Great fit on 206k km² (79k sq mi) · mostly with irrigation

    For example Lahore (100), Rawalpindi (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

  • 🇧🇷Brazil6.0M km² (2.3M sq mi) · 99% of its land
  • 🇺🇸United States3.8M km² (1.5M sq mi) · 68% of its land
  • 🇨🇳China3.6M km² (1.4M sq mi) · 64% of its land
  • 🇮🇳India3.0M km² (1.2M sq mi) · 95% of its land
  • 🇮🇩Indonesia1.4M km² (560k sq mi) · 93% of its land
  • 🇲🇽Mexico1.4M km² (559k sq mi) · 90% of its land
  • 🇮🇷Iran1.3M km² (508k sq mi) · 94% of its land
  • 🇦🇷Argentina1.2M km² (479k sq mi) · 79% of its land
  • 🇨🇩Democratic Republic of the Congo1.1M km² (426k sq mi) · 98% of its land
  • 🇳🇬Nigeria893k km² (345k sq mi) · 100% of its land

Best-suited towns

  1. 100%fit

    Monterrey

    🇲🇽 Nuevo León, Mexico

  2. 100%fit

    Yenagoa

    🇳🇬 Bayelsa State, Nigeria

  3. 100%fit

    Bến Cát

    🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam

  4. 100%fit

    Lagos

    🇳🇬 Nigeria

  5. 100%fit

    Lekki

    🇳🇬 Lagos, Nigeria

  6. 100%fit

    Ijebu Ode

    🇳🇬 Ogun State, Nigeria

  7. 100%fit

    Rufisque

    🇸🇳 Dakar, Senegal

  8. 100%fit

    Vinh

    🇻🇳 Nghệ An Province, Vietnam

  9. 100%fit

    Ciudad Bolívar

    🇻🇪 Bolívar, Venezuela

  10. 100%fit

    Douala

    🇨🇲 Littoral, Cameroon

  11. 100%fit

    Maiduguri

    🇳🇬 Borno State, Nigeria

  12. 100%fit

    Oklahoma City

    🇺🇸 Oklahoma, United States

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

What sorghum needs

Growing-season average
Ideal 72–91°F (22–33°C)Won't grow below 59°F (15°C) or above 100°F (38°C)
Coldest growing-season night (monthly average)
Ideal at least 54°F (12°C)Won't grow below 43°F (6°C)
Growing-season rain
Ideal 12–28 in (300–700 mm)Won't grow below 5.9 in (150 mm) or above 47 in (1,200 mm)

Handles heat and drought better than maize.

Sources: FAO ECOCROP: Sorghum bicolor; FAO Crop Water Information: sorghum. Ranges not yet reviewed by an agronomist.

What stops it elsewhere

  • Growing season too cool85%
  • Nights too cold in the growing season14%

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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