Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Combat Drought In Kenya

Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Combat-Drought-In-Kenya.md

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+<br>By Nita Bhalla<br>
+<br>KITUI, Kenya, June 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka thought it must be a joke when he was told he could water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, cleanly and effectively using a pump sustained by [cotton waste](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy).<br>
+<br>"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel much better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" laughed Mathoka, crouching down to check the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri village in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.<br>
+<br>"But it works," he said, walking over to a close-by tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually assisted me get greater yields, particularly during drought periods."<br>
+<br>Mathoka said his incomes had doubled in the 2 years he has actually been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre cheaper than regular diesel.<br>
+<br>The biodiesel he is utilizing is not simply good news for him - it is also [excellent news](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) for the world.<br>
+<br>Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are [derived](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.<br>
+<br>That suggests that in addition to 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.<br>
+<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate biofuel crops has actually driven forest communities off their land and pressed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more profitable crops-for-fuel - exacerbating food shortages.<br>
+<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 Ltd, the Kitui-based company producing the biodiesel.<br>
+<br>"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 a few of their buses - and likewise to local farmers for watering."<br>
+<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually so far [invested](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) in biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an effort launched by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.<br>
+<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
+<br>[Climate modification](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) is taking a toll across east Africa and progressively irregular weather is becoming commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rainfall.<br>
+<br>The recurring droughts are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing countless individuals in the Horn of Africa to the verge of extreme cravings.<br>
+<br>The number of Kenyans in [requirement](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) of food aid in March surged by nearly 70 percent over a duration of 8 months to 1.1 million, mostly due to bad rains, according to government figures.<br>
+<br>With almost half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a severe lack of rain, humanitarian agencies are [alerting](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) of increased hunger in the months ahead.<br>
+<br>"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to ease dry spell in impacted locations of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its most current report.<br>
+<br>"Well below-average crop production, bad animals body conditions, and increased local food rates are prepared for, which will minimize poor homes' access to food."<br>
+<br>In Kitui's Kyuso location, the indications are already obvious.<br>
+<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the prolonged dry spell.<br>
+<br>[Villagers experience](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) trekking longer distances - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans in search of water.<br>
+<br>Small-scale farmers, most of whom are reliant on rain-fed agriculture, discuss strategies to offer their goats to make ends satisfy if the [harvest](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) is poor.<br>
+<br>[BATTLING DROUGHT](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) WITH BIODIESEL<br>
+<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are fretted.<br>
+<br>A small but growing number are shedding their burden of dependence on the weather condition - and purchasing watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) through a pay-as-you-go scheme released more than three years ago.<br>
+<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to buy the irrigation system - which includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.<br>
+<br>The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free regular monthly instalments up until the overall is paid off. They buy the biodiesel to run the pumps from [Zaynagro](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
+<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the [biodiesel pump](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) allowed him to irrigate a bigger portion of his [one-acre](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) plot, where he grows a range of vegetables including maize, tomatoes, spinach and sweet potatoes.<br>
+<br>"With a diesel pump, maize yields were lower and I would get 15,000 shillings in three months. With the biodiesel pump, I can make 45,000 shillings," said Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo town, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
+<br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
+<br>Other farmers indicate the scheme as a significant advantage in helping improve their output.<br>
+<br>"The instalment plan is good. Most farmers do not have the cash and can not quickly get a loan to buy a pump like this," stated Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood beside his blue biodiesel pump.<br>
+<br>"Having a scheme like this assists us a lot. Our yields are great which suggests we can pay off the cost of the pump slowly in small amounts, and have money left over to pay the school charges."<br>
+<br>Zaynagro's effort is still in its early stages, with couple of farmers having paid back the full expense of the pumps.<br>
+<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) schemes are  since they [produce](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) for earnings, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
+<br>The simplicity of the design - user friendly, robust innovation, ensured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - could help energize rural Africa, he said.<br>
+<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices in the world. The key issue is checking ideas and techniques in a collective style," said Sanyal.<br>
+<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the region ought to 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>
+<br>($1 = 101.3000 Kenyan shillings) (Reporting by [Nita Bhalla](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) @nitabhalla, Editing by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the [charitable](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, [ladies's](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and climate modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>