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 believed it must be a joke when he was told he might irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and effectively utilizing a pump sustained by cotton waste.<br>
+<br>"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel much better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" chuckled Mathoka, bending down to check the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri village in [Kenya's](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) southeast Kitui county.<br>
+<br>"But it works," he said, strolling over to a close-by tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this [biodiesel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) water pump has actually assisted me get greater yields, especially during drought durations."<br>
+<br>Mathoka stated his earnings 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 less expensive than regular diesel.<br>
+<br>The biodiesel he is  is not simply great news for him - it is likewise [excellent news](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) for the world.<br>
+<br>Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.<br>
+<br>That suggests that along with being cleaner and cheaper than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no additional land is required to produce it.<br>
+<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) crops has driven forest communities off their land and [pressed farmers](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) to switch from [crops-for-food](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) to more lucrative crops-for-fuel - intensifying food scarcities.<br>
+<br>"Our [biodiesel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) comes from squashing 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 business](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) producing the [biodiesel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048).<br>
+<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, sell it to the United Nations to run a few of their buses - and likewise to regional farmers for watering."<br>
+<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have up until now bought [biodiesel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) pumps for irrigation as part of an effort launched by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.<br>
+<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
+<br>Climate modification is taking a toll across east Africa and [increasingly irregular](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) weather condition is ending up being commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.<br>
+<br>The [recurring](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) dry spells are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing countless people in the Horn of Africa to the verge of extreme appetite.<br>
+<br>The number of Kenyans in requirement of food aid in March surged by practically 70 percent over a period of 8 months to 1.1 million, mostly due to poor rains, according to government figures.<br>
+<br>With nearly [half Kenya's](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) 47 counties stated to have a severe shortage of rain, humanitarian companies are alerting of increased hunger in the months ahead.<br>
+<br>"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to alleviate dry spell in affected locations of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its newest report.<br>
+<br>"Well below-average crop production, poor animals body conditions, and increased local food rates are expected, which will lower bad families' access to food."<br>
+<br>In Kitui's Kyuso area, the indications are already apparent.<br>
+<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the extended dry spell.<br>
+<br>Villagers grumble of travelling longer distances - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty jerry cans in search of water.<br>
+<br>Small-scale farmers, many of whom are dependent on rain-fed farming, discuss plans to offer their goats to make ends fulfill if the harvest is bad.<br>
+<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL<br>
+<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are stressed.<br>
+<br>A small but 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 plan released more than three years back.<br>
+<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to purchase the watering system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at expenses beginning from 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.<br>
+<br>The farmers make a [preliminary](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) payment, then pay interest-free month-to-month instalments till the total is paid off. They purchase the [biodiesel](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
+<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the biodiesel pump enabled him to irrigate a bigger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a [variety](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) of veggies 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 3 months. With the biodiesel pump, I can earn 45,000 shillings," said Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in [Ilangilo](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) village, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
+<br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
+<br>Other farmers indicate the plan as a significant advantage in helping improve their output.<br>
+<br>"The instalment scheme is excellent. 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 beside his blue biodiesel pump.<br>
+<br>"Having a plan like this helps us a lot. Our yields are good which means we can settle the cost of the pump slowly in small amounts, and have money left over to pay the school costs."<br>
+<br>Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early phases, with few farmers having actually paid back the complete cost of the pumps.<br>
+<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) schemes are appealing because they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) for profit, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
+<br>The simpleness of the model - user friendly, robust technology, assured supply of biodiesel combined with a pay-as-you-go scheme - might help electrify rural Africa, he said.<br>
+<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices in the world. The crucial problem is testing concepts and techniques in a collective style," said Sanyal.<br>
+<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area must attempt and gain from this experiment. Banks ought to begin try out loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors require to support experimentation."<br>
+<br>($1 = 101.3000 Kenyan shillings) (Reporting by Nita Bhalla @nitabhalla, [Editing](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) 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 change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>