Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Combat 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](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) thought it needs to be a joke when he was informed he might water his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, cleanly and efficiently utilizing a [pump fuelled](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) by cotton waste.<br>
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<br>"Who could believe it's possible to make a fuel much better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" chuckled Mathoka, bending down to examine the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri town in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.<br>
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<br>"But it works," he stated, walking over to a nearby tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has helped me get higher yields, specifically during dry spell durations."<br>
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<br>Mathoka said his profits had doubled in the 2 years he has actually been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre less [expensive](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) than regular diesel.<br>
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<br>The [biodiesel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) he is using is not simply great news for him - it is likewise great news for the planet.<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.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making process.<br>
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<br>That indicates that in addition to being cleaner and more affordable than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no extra land is needed to produce it.<br>
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<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) crops has driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pressed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more [rewarding crops-for-fuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) - exacerbating food shortages.<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 company producing the [biodiesel](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/).<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, offer it to the United Nations to run a few of their buses - and likewise to local farmers for irrigation."<br>
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<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now purchased biodiesel pumps for watering as part of an initiative released by Zaynagro in 2015, said 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 significantly 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 dry spells are [ruining crops](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) and pastures and are starving animals - pushing countless people in the Horn of Africa to the edge of severe cravings.<br>
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<br>The number of Kenyans in requirement of food help in March surged by nearly 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 stated to have a serious scarcity of rain, humanitarian agencies are warning of increased cravings in the months ahead.<br>
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<br>"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to ease dry spell in impacted areas of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its newest report.<br>
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<br>"Well below-average crop production, poor livestock body conditions, and increased local food prices are anticipated, which will decrease poor homes' access to food."<br>
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<br>In Kitui's Kyuso location, the indications are currently evident.<br>
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<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the extended drought.<br>
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<br>Villagers complain of travelling longer ranges - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty [jerry cans](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) looking for water.<br>
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<br>Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom depend on agriculture, go over [strategies](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) 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 worried.<br>
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<br>A little but growing number are shedding their burden of reliance on the weather condition - and investing in watering 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 plan launched more than 3 years back.<br>
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<br>Neighbouring farmers band together to purchase the watering system - which includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning from 32,000 shillings, [depending](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) on the size of the pump.<br>
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<br>The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free month-to-month instalments up until the overall is [settled](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy). They purchase the [biodiesel](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
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<br>[Farmer Alex](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) Babu Kitheka, 39, said the biodiesel pump permitted 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," stated 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 indicate the plan as a major benefit in helping enhance their output.<br>
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<br>"The instalment scheme is great. Most farmers don't have the cash and can not easily get a loan to purchase 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 great which indicates we can pay off the cost of the pump slowly in small amounts, and have money left over to pay the school charges."<br>
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<br>Zaynagro's effort is still in its early stages, with few [farmers](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) having actually repaid the complete cost of the pumps.<br>
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<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) plans are appealing because they create a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) for revenue, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
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<br>The simpleness of the model - easy-to-use, robust innovation, ensured supply of biodiesel combined with a pay-as-you-go plan - could help energize rural Africa, he said.<br>
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<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives on the planet. The essential problem is checking ideas and approaches in a collaborative fashion," stated Sanyal.<br>
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<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area ought to try and gain from this experiment. Financial organizations ought to begin explore loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors need to support experimentation."<br>
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<br>($1 = 101.3000 Kenyan shillings) (Reporting by Nita Bhalla @nitabhalla, Editing by [Claire Cozens](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price). Please credit the [Thomson Reuters](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) 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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