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.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) thought it must be a joke when he was told he might water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, cleanly and effectively utilizing a pump fuelled by cotton waste.<br>
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<br>"Who could believe it's possible to make a fuel better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" chuckled Mathoka, crouching down to inspect 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, walking over to a neighboring tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this [biodiesel](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) water pump has helped me get higher yields, specifically during dry spell durations."<br>
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<br>Mathoka stated his profits had actually doubled in the two years he has actually been pumping water utilizing [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd), which is both more effective and 20 [shillings](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) ($0.20) per litre less expensive than regular diesel.<br>
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<br>The biodiesel he is using is not simply excellent news for him - it is likewise excellent news for the world.<br>
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<br>Unlike a lot of biofuels, which are stemmed from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.<br>
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<br>That suggests that in addition to being cleaner and less expensive than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no extra land is needed to [produce](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) it.<br>
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<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) crops has driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - intensifying food lacks.<br>
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<br>"Our [biodiesel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) originates from crushing 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 business producing the biodiesel.<br>
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<br>"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 a few of their buses - and also to regional farmers for watering."<br>
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<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now bought biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an initiative introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, stated 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 progressively unpredictable weather is becoming commonplace in [nations](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rains.<br>
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<br>The repeating dry spells are destroying crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing countless individuals in the Horn of Africa to the brink of extreme appetite.<br>
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<br>The number of Kenyans in requirement of [food aid](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) in March surged by almost 70 percent over a period of 8 months to 1.1 million, largely due to bad rains, according to federal government figures.<br>
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<br>With practically half Kenya's 47 [counties stated](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) to have a serious [shortage](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) of rain, humanitarian companies are warning of increased appetite in the months ahead.<br>
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<br>"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to relieve dry spell in impacted areas of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its most current report.<br>
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<br>"Well below-average crop production, poor livestock body conditions, and increased regional food prices are anticipated, which will decrease bad households' access to food."<br>
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<br>In Kitui's Kyuso location, the signs 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 trekking longer ranges - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty [jerry cans](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) in search of water.<br>
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<br> farmers, most of whom depend on rain-fed farming, talk about strategies to sell their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is poor.<br>
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<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH [BIODIESEL](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053)<br>
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<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are stressed.<br>
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<br>A little however growing number are shedding their concern of reliance on the weather - and investing in watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go scheme released more than three years earlier.<br>
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<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to purchase the irrigation system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at expenses beginning from 32,000 shillings, depending 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 till the overall is settled. They buy the [biodiesel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) 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 water a bigger 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," stated Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo town, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
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<br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
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<br>Other farmers point to the plan as a major benefit in [assisting enhance](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) their output.<br>
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<br>"The instalment scheme is good. Most farmers do not have the money and can not easily get a loan to purchase a pump like this," said Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his blue biodiesel pump.<br>
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<br>"Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are excellent which implies we can pay off the expense of the pump gradually in percentages, and have cash left over to pay the school charges."<br>
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<br>Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early stages, with few farmers having actually paid back the full cost of the pumps.<br>
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<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) schemes are promising since they create a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) for revenue, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
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<br>The simplicity of the design - user friendly, robust technology, ensured supply of [biodiesel](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) integrated with a pay-as-you-go scheme - might help amaze rural Africa, he stated.<br>
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<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives worldwide. The crucial problem is testing concepts and techniques in a collaborative fashion," said Sanyal.<br>
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<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the region should try and discover from this experiment. Banks ought to begin try out loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors require to support experimentation."<br>
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<br>($1 = 101.3000 Kenyan shillings) (Reporting by Nita Bhalla @nitabhalla, Editing by [Claire Cozens](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited). Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and climate change. Visit http://[news.trust](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price).org)<br>
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