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](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) Mutie Mathoka thought it should be a joke when he was told he could irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and efficiently using 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](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) Mathoka, bending down to check the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri village in Kenya's [southeast Kitui](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) county.<br>
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<br>"But it works," he stated, walking over to a close-by tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has helped me get greater yields, specifically throughout drought durations."<br>
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<br>Mathoka stated his earnings had doubled in the two years he has been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre more affordable than routine diesel.<br>
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<br>The biodiesel he is utilizing is not simply excellent news for him - it is likewise excellent news for the world.<br>
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<br>Unlike most biofuels, which are derived from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making process.<br>
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<br>That implies that along with being cleaner and more affordable than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels due to the fact that no additional land is needed to produce 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 actually driven forest communities off their land and pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more lucrative crops-for-fuel - [worsening food](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) shortages.<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 Ltd, the Kitui-based business producing the biodiesel.<br>
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<br>"We started producing and using it to power our cotton ginning factory in 2011. With increased production, we now use it for our trucks, sell it to the United Nations to run a few of their buses - and also to local farmers for watering."<br>
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<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have so far invested in [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pumps for irrigation as part of an initiative launched by Zaynagro in 2015, [stated Zavery](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm).<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 unpredictable weather is becoming [commonplace](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) in [nations](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.<br>
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<br>The recurring dry spells are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing countless individuals in the Horn of Africa to the verge of severe cravings.<br>
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<br>The variety of Kenyans in requirement of food help in March rose by nearly 70 percent over a period of 8 months to 1.1 million, mainly due to poor rains, according to government figures.<br>
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<br>With nearly half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a severe shortage of rain, humanitarian agencies are alerting of increased appetite in the months ahead.<br>
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<br>"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not expected to alleviate dry spell in affected 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 animals body conditions, and increased regional food prices are anticipated, which will minimize poor families' access to food."<br>
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<br>In Kitui's Kyuso location, the indications are already evident.<br>
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<br>Rivers, [water pans](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) and dams are drying up as a result of the prolonged dry spell.<br>
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<br>Villagers suffer [travelling](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) longer distances - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans in search of water.<br>
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<br>Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom depend on agriculture, go over plans to offer their goats to make ends meet if the [harvest](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) 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 fretted.<br>
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<br>A small however growing number are shedding their concern of dependence on the [weather condition](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) - and purchasing watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go scheme released more than 3 years earlier.<br>
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<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to invest in the irrigation system - which consists of the [biodiesel](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning with 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 until the total is settled. They purchase the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro 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," stated Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in [Ilangilo](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) 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 advantage in helping enhance their output.<br>
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<br>"The instalment scheme is great. Most farmers do not have the money and can not easily get a loan to buy a pump like this," stated Maurice [Kitheka](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) 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 good which indicates we can pay off the cost of the pump gradually in little quantities, and have cash left over to pay the school costs."<br>
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<br>[Zaynagro's effort](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) is still in its early stages, with couple of farmers having repaid the complete cost of the pumps.<br>
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<br>But such [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) plans are promising since they develop 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 earnings, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
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<br>The simpleness of the design - user friendly, robust technology, ensured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - could help electrify rural Africa, he said.<br>
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<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices in the world. The essential issue is checking concepts and approaches in a collaborative fashion," stated Sanyal.<br>
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<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area must attempt and gain from this experiment. Financial organizations ought to 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 Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, females's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, residential or commercial property rights and [climate](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>
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