Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Fight Drought In Kenya
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<br>By Nita Bhalla<br>
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<br>KITUI, Kenya, June 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka believed it should be a joke when he was told he might irrigate his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, easily and effectively utilizing a pump sustained by cotton waste.<br>
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<br>"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel much 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](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) in Ituri town in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.<br>
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<br>"But it works," he stated, walking over to a close-by tree and [plucking](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) water pump has assisted me get higher yields, especially during dry spell durations."<br>
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<br>[Mathoka](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) stated his profits had doubled in the two years he has actually been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre more [affordable](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) than [routine diesel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy).<br>
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<br>The he is using is not just great news for him - it is likewise good news for the world.<br>
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<br>Unlike most biofuels, which are stemmed from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making process.<br>
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<br>That suggests that in addition to being cleaner and [cheaper](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other [biofuels](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) due to the fact that no additional land is needed to [produce](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) it.<br>
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<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) crops has driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - worsening food lacks.<br>
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<br>"Our biodiesel originates from squashing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the procedure of separating the seeds from raw cotton," said Taher Zavery, handling director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based business producing the biodiesel.<br>
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<br>"We started producing and utilizing it to power our cotton ginning factory in 2011. With increased production, we now use it for our trucks, sell it to the United Nations to run some of their buses - and also to local farmers for irrigation."<br>
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<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now invested in biodiesel pumps for watering as part of an initiative launched by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.<br>
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<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
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<br>Climate change is taking a toll across east Africa and [increasingly irregular](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) weather condition is ending up being commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rainfall.<br>
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<br>The recurring dry spells are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing millions of individuals in the Horn of Africa to the edge of extreme cravings.<br>
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<br>The variety of Kenyans in need of food help in March rose by practically 70 percent over a duration of 8 months to 1.1 million, mainly due to poor rains, according to government figures.<br>
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<br>With practically half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a serious scarcity of rain, humanitarian agencies are alerting of increased cravings in the months ahead.<br>
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<br>"Only light rainfall is anticipated through June ... and this is not anticipated to relieve dry spell in affected locations of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest report.<br>
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<br>"Well below-average crop production, bad livestock body conditions, and increased local food rates are prepared for, which will decrease poor households' access to food."<br>
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<br>In Kitui's Kyuso location, the signs are already evident.<br>
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<br>Rivers, [water pans](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) and dams are drying up as an outcome of the extended drought.<br>
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<br>Villagers experience travelling longer ranges - sometimes more than 10 km (6 miles) with their [donkeys loaded](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) with empty jerry cans in search of water.<br>
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<br>Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom are reliant on rain-fed agriculture, discuss strategies to offer their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is bad.<br>
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<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL<br>
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<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are fretted.<br>
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<br>A little but growing number are shedding their problem of dependence on the weather condition - and buying irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) through a pay-as-you-go scheme launched more than 3 years earlier.<br>
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<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to buy the irrigation system - which consists of the [biodiesel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of [biodiesel](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) - at expenses beginning from 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.<br>
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<br>The [farmers](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free regular monthly instalments until the total is settled. They buy the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
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<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the biodiesel pump allowed him to water a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of vegetables including maize, tomatoes, spinach and sweet potatoes.<br>
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<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," said Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo town, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
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<br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
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<br>Other farmers point to the plan as a major advantage in assisting enhance their output.<br>
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<br>"The instalment scheme is excellent. Most farmers don't have the money and can not quickly get a loan to buy a pump like this," said [Maurice Kitheka](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his blue biodiesel pump.<br>
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<br>"Having a scheme like this assists us a lot. Our yields are great which suggests we can settle the expense of the pump gradually in percentages, and have cash left over to pay the school charges."<br>
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<br>Zaynagro's effort is still in its early phases, with couple of farmers having repaid the full expense of the pumps.<br>
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<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) plans are appealing because they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) for profit, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
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<br>The simpleness of the design - easy-to-use, robust innovation, assured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go scheme - might assist amaze rural Africa, he stated.<br>
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<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options worldwide. The essential problem is checking concepts and methods in a collaborative style," said Sanyal.<br>
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<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the region should attempt and gain from this experiment. Financial organizations need to begin explore loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors require to support experimentation."<br>
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<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 and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and climate modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>
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