Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Eliminate Drought In Kenya

Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Eliminate-Drought-In-Kenya.md

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+<br>By Nita Bhalla<br>
+<br>KITUI, Kenya, June 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka thought it needs to be a joke when he was informed he might water his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, easily and efficiently using a pump sustained by cotton waste.<br>
+<br>"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" chuckled Mathoka, crouching down to examine the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri village in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.<br>
+<br>"But it works," he stated, walking over to a close-by tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually helped me get greater yields, particularly during drought periods."<br>
+<br>Mathoka said his incomes had doubled in the two years he has actually been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre less expensive than routine diesel.<br>
+<br>The biodiesel he is utilizing is not just  for him - it is likewise good news for the planet.<br>
+<br>Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are [stemmed](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.<br>
+<br>That means that as well as being cleaner and less expensive than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no additional land is needed to produce it.<br>
+<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) crops has actually driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more lucrative crops-for-fuel - worsening food lacks.<br>
+<br>"Our [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) comes from squashing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the process of separating the seeds from raw cotton," stated Taher Zavery, handling director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based business producing the [biodiesel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889).<br>
+<br>"We started producing and using it to power our cotton ginning factory in 2011. With increased production, we now utilize it for our trucks, sell it to the United Nations to run some of their buses - and also to local farmers for irrigation."<br>
+<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have up until now purchased biodiesel pumps for watering as part of an initiative introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.<br>
+<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
+<br>Climate change is taking a toll throughout east Africa and increasingly irregular weather condition is becoming commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.<br>
+<br>The recurring dry spells are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing millions of individuals in the Horn of Africa to the brink of severe hunger.<br>
+<br>The variety of Kenyans in [requirement](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) of food help in March rose by nearly 70 percent over a period of 8 months to 1.1 million, largely due to bad rains, according to government figures.<br>
+<br>With nearly half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a severe lack of rain, humanitarian agencies are cautioning of [increased appetite](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) in the months ahead.<br>
+<br>"Only light rainfall is anticipated through June ... and this is not expected to reduce drought in affected areas of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its most current report.<br>
+<br>"Well below-average crop production, poor livestock body conditions, and increased local food costs are prepared for, which will reduce poor homes' access to food."<br>
+<br>In Kitui's Kyuso location, the indications are already evident.<br>
+<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the prolonged dry spell.<br>
+<br>Villagers grumble of trekking longer ranges - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty jerry cans searching for water.<br>
+<br>Small-scale farmers, many of whom are dependent on rain-fed agriculture, discuss strategies to sell their goats to make ends fulfill if the harvest is bad.<br>
+<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH [BIODIESEL](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price)<br>
+<br>But not all [Kitui's](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) [farmers](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) are fretted.<br>
+<br>A small but growing number are shedding their problem of reliance on the weather - and purchasing irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) through a pay-as-you-go scheme introduced more than 3 years back.<br>
+<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to buy the irrigation system - which includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs starting from 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.<br>
+<br>The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free monthly instalments until the overall is settled. They buy the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
+<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the [biodiesel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) pump enabled him to [irrigate](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) a larger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of vegetables consisting of maize, tomatoes, spinach and sweet potatoes.<br>
+<br>"With a diesel pump, maize yields were lower and I would get 15,000 shillings in three months. With the biodiesel pump, I can make 45,000 shillings," stated Alex Babu Kitheka, [standing](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) near his plot in Ilangilo village, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
+<br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
+<br>Other farmers point to the scheme as a major advantage in helping improve their output.<br>
+<br>"The instalment scheme is excellent. Most farmers don't have the cash and can not easily get a loan to purchase a pump like this," said [Maurice Kitheka](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) Munyoki, 41, as he stood beside his blue biodiesel pump.<br>
+<br>"Having a plan like this helps us a lot. Our yields are good which means we can settle the expense of the pump gradually in little amounts, and have money left over to pay the school fees."<br>
+<br>Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early stages, with few [farmers](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) having actually paid back the complete cost of the pumps.<br>
+<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) schemes are promising due to the fact that they create a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) for profit, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean [Energy Finance](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) at the World Resources Institute.<br>
+<br>The [simplicity](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) of the design - user friendly, robust innovation, ensured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - could help electrify rural Africa, he stated.<br>
+<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives worldwide. The key concern is checking ideas and approaches in a collaborative style," stated Sanyal.<br>
+<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the region need to try and gain from this experiment. Financial organizations ought to start exploring with loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors require to support experimentation."<br>
+<br>($1 = 101.3000 Kenyan shillings) (Reporting by Nita Bhalla @nitabhalla, Editing by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, [women's](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and environment change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>