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](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka thought it must be a joke when he was told he might irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, cleanly and effectively using a pump sustained by cotton waste.<br>
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<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 check the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri village in [Kenya's southeast](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) Kitui county.<br>
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<br>"But it works," he stated, strolling over to a neighboring tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually assisted me get greater yields, especially during drought periods."<br>
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<br>Mathoka said his incomes had actually doubled in the two years he has actually been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre cheaper than routine diesel.<br>
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<br>The [biodiesel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) he is using is not just great news for him - it is also good news for the world.<br>
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<br>Unlike many biofuels, which are obtained from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making process.<br>
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<br>That indicates that as well as being cleaner and less expensive than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no additional land is required to produce it.<br>
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<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to crops has driven forest communities off their land and pushed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more lucrative crops-for-fuel - intensifying food shortages.<br>
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<br>"Our [biodiesel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) comes from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the procedure of separating the seeds from raw cotton," stated Taher Zavery, handling director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based company producing the biodiesel.<br>
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<br>"We began producing and utilizing it to power our cotton ginning factory in 2011. With increased production, we now utilize it for our trucks, offer it to the United Nations to run a few of their buses - and also to local farmers for watering."<br>
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<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually so far bought [biodiesel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) pumps for irrigation 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 progressively irregular weather condition is becoming commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rains.<br>
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<br>The repeating droughts are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing countless people in the Horn of Africa to the edge of extreme cravings.<br>
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<br>The number of Kenyans in requirement of food help in March surged by practically 70 percent over a period of eight months to 1.1 million, mostly due to bad rains, according to government figures.<br>
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<br>With practically half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a major lack of rain, humanitarian companies are [cautioning](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) of [increased appetite](https://www.abnnewswire.net/companies/en/31347/%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%A9%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%97-Mission-NewEnergy-%E0%B8%88%E0%B8%B3%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%94.html/4) in the months ahead.<br>
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<br>"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not expected to alleviate dry spell in impacted locations of Kenya and Somalia," stated 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 regional food costs are anticipated, which will minimize bad homes' access to food."<br>
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<br>In Kitui's Kyuso area, the signs are already evident.<br>
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<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the prolonged dry spell.<br>
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<br>Villagers suffer trekking longer ranges - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty jerry cans in search of water.<br>
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<br>Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom depend on rain-fed agriculture, go over plans to offer their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is poor.<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 - and purchasing irrigation systems powered by [Zaynagro's cotton](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) seed [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) through a pay-as-you-go plan introduced more than three years earlier.<br>
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<br>Neighbouring farmers band together to purchase the irrigation system - that includes the [biodiesel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) pump, 12 metres of [pipelines](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.<br>
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<br>The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free regular monthly instalments up until the overall 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](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) pump allowed him to water a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of veggies 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 3 months. With the biodiesel pump, I can make 45,000 shillings," said Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo village, 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 scheme as a significant benefit in assisting enhance their output.<br>
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<br>"The instalment plan is good. Most farmers do not have the cash and can not easily get a loan to buy a pump like this," stated Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood beside his blue biodiesel pump.<br>
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<br>"Having a plan like this helps us a lot. Our yields are excellent which suggests we can pay off the cost of the pump gradually in percentages, and have money left over to pay the school costs."<br>
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<br>Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early stages, with couple of [farmers](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) having paid back the complete cost of the pumps.<br>
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<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) schemes are promising since they develop a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) for earnings, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
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<br>The simpleness of the design - user friendly, robust technology, assured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go [scheme -](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) could [assist amaze](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) rural Africa, he said.<br>
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<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices on the planet. The crucial problem is checking concepts and techniques in a collaborative style," said Sanyal.<br>
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<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the region need to attempt and gain from this experiment. Banks should start explore loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers need 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, [females's](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, residential or [commercial property](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) rights and [climate](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>
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