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Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Fight Drought In Kenya

Neal Combes 2025-01-12 09:57:40 +08:00
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<br>By Nita Bhalla<br>
<br>KITUI, Kenya, June 6 ([Thomson Reuters](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel [Mutie Mathoka](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) believed it should be a joke when he was informed he could irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, cleanly and efficiently using 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!" laughed Mathoka, bending down to examine the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri town in Kenya's [southeast Kitui](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) county.<br>
<br>"But it works," he said, walking over to a nearby tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has helped me get greater yields, particularly during dry spell durations."<br>
<br>Mathoka stated his incomes had actually 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 using is not simply good news for him - it is also good news for the world.<br>
<br>Unlike most biofuels, which are derived from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.<br>
<br>That means 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 [required](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) to produce it.<br>
<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate biofuel crops has actually driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pressed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more profitable crops-for-fuel - exacerbating food lacks.<br>
<br>"Our [biodiesel](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) originates from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the procedure of separating the seeds from raw cotton," said Taher Zavery, [handling director](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based business producing the [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd).<br>
<br>"We started producing and using 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 also to regional farmers for watering."<br>
<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now invested in biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an initiative introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.<br>
<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
<br>Climate change is taking a toll throughout east Africa and progressively erratic weather condition is ending up being commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rains.<br>
<br>The recurring dry spells are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing millions of people in the Horn of Africa to the edge of severe hunger.<br>
<br>The variety of Kenyans in need of food aid in March surged by almost 70 percent over a period of 8 months to 1.1 million, mostly due to bad rains, according to federal government figures.<br>
<br>With almost half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a severe scarcity of rain, humanitarian companies are alerting of [increased cravings](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) in the months ahead.<br>
<br>"Only light rains is anticipated through June ... and this is not expected to alleviate dry spell in impacted locations of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest report.<br>
<br>"Well below-average crop production, poor livestock body conditions, and increased regional food prices are anticipated, which will minimize bad families' access to food."<br>
<br>In Kitui's Kyuso area, the signs are currently [obvious](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited).<br>
<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the extended dry spell.<br>
<br>Villagers complain of travelling longer often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty jerry cans looking for water.<br>
<br>Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom are reliant on rain-fed farming, discuss strategies to offer their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is bad.<br>
<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL<br>
<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are fretted.<br>
<br>A small however growing number are shedding their concern of dependence on the weather condition - and investing in [irrigation systems](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed [biodiesel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) through a pay-as-you-go scheme launched more than three years back.<br>
<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to invest in the watering system - which includes the [biodiesel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of [biodiesel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) - at expenses beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.<br>
<br>The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free month-to-month instalments up until the overall is paid off. They purchase the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the biodiesel pump allowed him to irrigate a larger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of veggies consisting of 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](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) 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>
<br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
<br>Other farmers indicate the plan as a significant [advantage](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) in assisting improve their output.<br>
<br>"The instalment scheme is great. 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](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pump.<br>
<br>"Having a scheme like this assists us a lot. Our yields are good which implies we can pay off the expense of the pump slowly in small amounts, and have cash left over to pay the school costs."<br>
<br>Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early phases, with few farmers having repaid the full expense of the pumps.<br>
<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) plans are appealing due to the fact that they create a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) for earnings, stated 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 - could help electrify rural Africa, he said.<br>
<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options on the planet. The essential concern is checking concepts and approaches in a collaborative style," stated Sanyal.<br>
<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the region should attempt and discover from this experiment. Banks should start 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.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that [covers humanitarian](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) news, ladies's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and environment modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>