diff --git a/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Fight-Drought-In-Kenya.md b/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Fight-Drought-In-Kenya.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..11bb35c --- /dev/null +++ b/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Fight-Drought-In-Kenya.md @@ -0,0 +1,40 @@ +
By Nita Bhalla
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KITUI, Kenya, June 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie [Mathoka](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) thought it must be a joke when he was told he could irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and effectively using a pump sustained by cotton waste.
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"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 in Ituri town in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.
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"But it works," he said, walking over to a nearby tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually helped me get greater yields, particularly during drought periods."
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Mathoka said his incomes had doubled in the two years he has actually been pumping water using [biodiesel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608), which is both more efficient and 20 [shillings](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) ($0.20) per litre cheaper than regular diesel.
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The biodiesel he is utilizing is not just [excellent news](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) for him - it is likewise excellent news for the planet.
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Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.
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That [suggests](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) that along with being cleaner and more affordable than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels due to the fact that no extra land is required to produce it.
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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 pressed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - worsening food shortages.
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"Our biodiesel originates from crushing 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 company producing the biodiesel.
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"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 some of their buses - and likewise to regional farmers for irrigation."
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More than 1,200 [farmers](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) in Kitui have actually so far bought [biodiesel](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) pumps for irrigation as part of an initiative released by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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Climate change is taking a toll across east Africa and increasingly unpredictable weather condition is becoming commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to [lower rains](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US).
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The recurring droughts are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing millions of people in the Horn of Africa to the edge of extreme cravings.
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The number of Kenyans in need of food help in March surged by almost 70 percent over a period of 8 months to 1.1 million, mostly due to bad rains, according to government figures.
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With almost half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a serious shortage of rain, humanitarian companies are cautioning of increased appetite in the months ahead.
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"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to ease drought in impacted locations of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest report.
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"Well below-average crop production, bad animals body conditions, and increased regional food costs are expected, which will lower bad families' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso area, the signs are currently evident.
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the [prolonged drought](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).
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Villagers experience trekking longer distances - 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.
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Small-scale farmers, many of whom are dependent on rain-fed farming, talk about strategies to offer their goats to make ends satisfy if the harvest is bad.
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BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL
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But not all Kitui's farmers are worried.
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A little but growing number are shedding their burden of reliance on the weather condition - and investing in irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan released more than 3 years ago.
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[Neighbouring farmers](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) band together to [purchase](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) the [watering](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs starting from 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.
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The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free till the total is paid off. They buy the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.
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Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the biodiesel pump enabled him to irrigate a bigger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of vegetables consisting of maize, tomatoes, spinach and [sweet potatoes](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html).
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"With a diesel pump, maize yields were lower and I would get 15,000 shillings in 3 months. With the biodiesel pump, I can earn 45,000 shillings," said [Alex Babu](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo village, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.
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CIRCULAR ECONOMY
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Other farmers indicate the plan as a major benefit in helping improve their output.
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"The instalment scheme is excellent. Most farmers don't have the money 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.
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"Having a scheme like this helps us a lot. Our yields are great which suggests we can pay off the expense of the pump gradually in percentages, and have money left over to pay the school costs."
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Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early phases, with few farmers having actually repaid the complete expense of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) plans are appealing due to the fact that they create a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) for profit, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The simpleness of the model - user friendly, robust technology, assured supply of biodiesel combined with a pay-as-you-go plan - could [assist amaze](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) rural Africa, he said.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options worldwide. The key issue is evaluating concepts and techniques in a collaborative style," stated Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the region ought to try and discover from this experiment. Financial institutions ought to start exploring with loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers require to support experimentation."
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($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](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, ladies's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and climate modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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