Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Eliminate 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 informed he might irrigate his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, cleanly and efficiently using a pump fuelled 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](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) down to examine the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri village in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.<br>
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<br>"But it works," he said, strolling over to a [neighboring tree](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this [biodiesel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) water pump has actually helped me get higher yields, particularly during drought periods."<br>
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<br>Mathoka stated his profits had actually doubled in the two years he has actually been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre less expensive than regular diesel.<br>
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<br>The [biodiesel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) he is utilizing is not just excellent news for him - it is also excellent 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.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile), it is made from a [byproduct](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) of the cotton-making process.<br>
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<br>That implies that as well as being cleaner and cheaper than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no extra land is required 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 pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - exacerbating 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 company producing the biodiesel.<br>
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<br>"We began producing and using 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 likewise to local farmers for watering."<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 launched by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.<br>
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<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
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<br>Climate modification is taking a toll across east Africa and significantly erratic weather is becoming commonplace in [nations](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.<br>
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<br>The repeating dry spells are damaging crops and pastures and are starving animals - [pushing millions](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) of people in the Horn of Africa to the verge of extreme hunger.<br>
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<br>The variety of Kenyans in need of food help in March rose by practically 70 percent over a period of eight months to 1.1 million, largely due to poor rains, according to federal government figures.<br>
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<br>With nearly [half Kenya's](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) 47 counties stated to have a serious scarcity of rain, humanitarian firms are alerting of increased cravings in the months ahead.<br>
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<br>"Only light rains is anticipated through June ... and this is not anticipated to reduce dry spell in impacted areas of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early [Warning Systems](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) [Network](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) in its newest report.<br>
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<br>"Well below-average crop production, bad livestock body conditions, and increased regional food prices are anticipated, which will lower poor households' access to food."<br>
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<br>In Kitui's Kyuso area, the indications are currently evident.<br>
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<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the extended drought.<br>
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<br>Villagers suffer travelling longer distances - sometimes more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty jerry cans in search of water.<br>
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<br>[Small-scale](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) farmers, the majority of whom are reliant on rain-fed agriculture, discuss strategies to sell 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 however growing number are shedding their problem of dependence on the weather condition - and investing in watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go scheme introduced more than three years ago.<br>
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<br>Neighbouring farmers band together to buy the [watering](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of [biodiesel -](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) at expenses 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 monthly instalments till the total is settled. They buy the [biodiesel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) to run the pumps from [Zaynagro](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
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<br>Farmer Alex 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 veggies consisting of 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](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) indicate the plan as a major advantage in helping enhance their output.<br>
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<br>"The instalment scheme is excellent. Most farmers don't have the cash and can not easily get a loan to buy a pump like this," stated Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to 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 expense of the pump gradually in little quantities, and have money left over to pay the school costs."<br>
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<br>Zaynagro's effort is still in its early phases, with few having actually repaid the full cost of the pumps.<br>
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<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) schemes are appealing since they create a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](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) 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 - user friendly, robust technology, guaranteed supply of biodiesel combined with a pay-as-you-go scheme - might assist amaze rural Africa, he said.<br>
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<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives on the planet. The key problem is checking concepts and techniques in a collective style," said Sanyal.<br>
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<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the region must try and gain from this experiment. Financial institutions ought to start exploring with 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. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, females's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, residential or commercial property rights and [environment](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>
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