From the Foot Plateau, the Coastal Uplands (also known as "Shimba Hills"), ascends steeply, reaching an altitude of 135–462 meters above the sea level.
A basement rocks system lies beneath the plateau, which also contains random reddish sand soils patches.
The county has a monsoon climate; it is hot and dry from January to April, with the coolest months being June to August.
[12] Cashew nuts, sugarcane, cotton, simsim, bixa and tobacco are cultivated as cash crops.
Despite the large number of livestock, production has remained low[14] due to poor-quality breeds, inadequate husbandry, and high pest and disease occurrences.
The Kenyan government[16][17] also launched a Sh40 million Livestock Off-take Programme in Kwale County as a response to reduce loss of animals to drought.
Government Spokesperson Colonel (Rtd) Cyrus Oguna said 26,000 people in Kwale who have been affected by drought will get a monthly stipend of Sh3,000 via mobile money transfer platforms to help cushion and enhance their lives.
Since 2014, Australian-based Business for Development (B4D) has partnered with ASX-listed Base Titanium Limited (BTL), a mineral sands producer in Kwale County, to initiate programs that support local farming communities in their endeavours to improve the returns from their agricultural activities Together with the Cotton On Group (COG), Australia's largest global retailer, the Government of the Republic of Kenya, and the local Kwale Government, the Kwale Agribusiness Program (KAP) was established.
The main products of this program are cotton, grain, pulses, and livestock, including stock feed.
Over the next five years, the primary objective will be to execute the KAP model across Kenya's cotton growing communities.
[19] Through the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MoALF) and the Kwale County Government, PAVI has been able to obtain technical assistance and additional resources.
A stock mill has been built, and negotiations for the development of a cooperatively operated cotton gin are currently underway.