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 Foundation) [- Kenyan](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka thought it should be a joke when he was told he could water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, [cleanly](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) and efficiently utilizing a pump fuelled 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, strolling over to a close-by tree and [plucking](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this [biodiesel](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) water pump has assisted me get higher yields, specifically throughout drought durations."<br>
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<br>Mathoka stated his profits had actually doubled in the 2 years he has been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre more affordable than regular diesel.<br>
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<br>The biodiesel he is [utilizing](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) is not just great news for him - it is likewise excellent news for the world.<br>
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<br>Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making process.<br>
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<br>That means that along with being cleaner and cheaper than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no additional land is needed to [produce](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) it.<br>
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<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) crops has driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more - exacerbating food lacks.<br>
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<br>"Our biodiesel originates from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the process of separating the seeds from raw cotton," said Taher Zavery, handling director of Zaynagro [Industries](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) Ltd, the [Kitui-based business](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) 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 use it for our trucks, offer it to the United Nations to run a few of their buses - and likewise to regional farmers for watering."<br>
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<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have so far invested in biodiesel pumps for watering as part of an effort introduced 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 throughout east Africa and significantly irregular weather condition is ending up being commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.<br>
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<br>The [recurring](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) droughts are damaging crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing millions of people in the Horn of Africa to the brink of severe cravings.<br>
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<br>The variety of Kenyans in requirement of food aid in March surged by practically 70 percent over a duration of eight months to 1.1 million, mainly due to poor rains, according to government figures.<br>
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<br>With almost [half Kenya's](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) 47 counties stated to have a severe lack of rain, humanitarian companies are cautioning of increased hunger in the months ahead.<br>
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<br>"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not expected to reduce dry spell in affected locations 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 animals body conditions, and increased local food costs are expected, which will minimize poor households' access to food."<br>
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<br>In Kitui's Kyuso location, the signs are already [obvious](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US).<br>
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<br>Rivers, [water pans](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) and dams are drying up as a result of the extended dry spell.<br>
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<br>Villagers experience trekking longer distances - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty jerry cans looking for water.<br>
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<br>Small-scale farmers, most of whom depend on [rain-fed](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) farming, go over plans to sell their goats to make ends satisfy 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 stressed.<br>
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<br>A small but growing number are shedding their problem of [dependence](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) on the weather condition - and buying watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan introduced more than three years ago.<br>
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<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to purchase the irrigation system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at expenses beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.<br>
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<br>The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free month-to-month instalments up until the overall is paid off. 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, stated the biodiesel pump allowed him to irrigate 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 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/) point to the scheme as a major advantage in assisting improve their output.<br>
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<br>"The instalment plan is great. Most farmers do not have the cash and can not easily get a loan to buy a pump like this," [stated Maurice](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood beside his blue biodiesel pump.<br>
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<br>"Having a scheme like this assists us a lot. Our yields are great which implies 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 effort is still in its early phases, with couple of farmers having repaid the full cost of the pumps.<br>
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<br>But such biofuel schemes are promising because they create a circular economy by turning waste to biofuel for earnings, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
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<br>The simpleness of the design - user friendly, robust innovation, assured supply of [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) combined with a pay-as-you-go scheme - might help [electrify rural](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) Africa, he stated.<br>
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<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options worldwide. The crucial concern is testing ideas and approaches in a collaborative style," stated Sanyal.<br>
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<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the region must try and gain from this experiment. Financial organizations must begin explore loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers require 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](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, females's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>
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