diff --git a/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Combat-Drought-In-Kenya.md b/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Combat-Drought-In-Kenya.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1080bcb --- /dev/null +++ b/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Combat-Drought-In-Kenya.md @@ -0,0 +1,40 @@ +
By Nita Bhalla
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KITUI, Kenya, June 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - [Kenyan farmer](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) Abel Mutie Mathoka believed it must be a joke when he was told he might water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and effectively utilizing a by cotton waste.
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"Who could believe it's possible to make a fuel better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" laughed Mathoka, bending down to examine the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri town in [Kenya's southeast](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) Kitui county.
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"But it works," he stated, strolling over to a close-by tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has helped me get higher yields, especially during drought periods."
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Mathoka stated his profits had doubled in the 2 years he has actually been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre more [affordable](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) than [regular diesel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile).
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The biodiesel he is [utilizing](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) is not just excellent news for him - it is also good news for the planet.
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Unlike a lot of biofuels, which are stemmed from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.
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That implies that along with being cleaner and cheaper than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels due to the fact that no additional land is needed to produce it.
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From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to [cultivate](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) [biofuel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) crops has driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more profitable crops-for-fuel - exacerbating food shortages.
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"Our biodiesel comes from squashing 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.
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"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 some of their buses - and likewise to local farmers for watering."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now purchased biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an [effort introduced](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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[Climate](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) change is taking a toll throughout east Africa and increasingly erratic weather is ending up being commonplace in [nations](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rains.
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The repeating droughts are ruining crops and [pastures](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) and are starving animals - pushing [countless people](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) in the Horn of Africa to the edge of extreme hunger.
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The number of Kenyans in requirement of food aid in March surged by nearly 70 percent over a period of eight months to 1.1 million, mainly due to bad rains, according to federal government figures.
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With nearly half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a major scarcity of rain, humanitarian agencies are cautioning of increased appetite in the months ahead.
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"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not expected to alleviate dry spell in affected 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, poor livestock body conditions, and increased regional food costs are prepared for, which will minimize poor families' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso area, the indications are currently apparent.
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the extended dry spell.
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Villagers suffer trekking longer distances - sometimes more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty jerry cans looking for water.
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Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom depend on rain-fed farming, go over plans to sell their goats to make ends meet 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 concern of dependence on the weather condition - and buying irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan launched more than three years ago.
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Neighbouring farmers unite to purchase the irrigation system - that includes the [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) 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](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) make an initial payment, then pay interest-free month-to-month instalments up until the overall is settled. They purchase the [biodiesel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.
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[Farmer Alex](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) Babu Kitheka, 39, said the biodiesel pump allowed him to irrigate a larger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of vegetables consisting of maize, tomatoes, spinach and sweet potatoes.
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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](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) 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.
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CIRCULAR ECONOMY
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Other farmers point to the plan as a major advantage in assisting improve their output.
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"The instalment scheme is good. Most farmers do not have the cash and can not easily get a loan to buy a pump like this," said Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his blue biodiesel pump.
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"Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are good which implies we can settle the cost of the pump gradually in percentages, and have cash left over to pay the school fees."
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Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early stages, with couple of farmers having repaid the complete expense of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) plans are promising because 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 profit, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The simplicity of the design - user friendly, robust technology, guaranteed supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - could help amaze rural Africa, he stated.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives on the planet. The crucial issue is evaluating concepts and methods in a collaborative style," stated Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the region ought to try and learn from this experiment. Banks must begin experimenting 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 Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and climate modification. Visit http://[news.trust](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited).org)
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