Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Eliminate 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 believed it should be a joke when he was informed he might irrigate his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, cleanly and effectively utilizing a pump sustained 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 check the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri town in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.<br>
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<br>"But it works," he said, [strolling](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) over to a close-by tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually helped me get higher yields, especially during dry spell durations."<br>
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<br>Mathoka stated his profits had doubled in the 2 years he has been pumping water using [biodiesel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price), which is both more [efficient](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) 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 good news for the planet.<br>
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<br>Unlike a lot of biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86), it is made from a [byproduct](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) of the cotton-making procedure.<br>
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<br>That indicates that in addition to being cleaner and cheaper than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other [biofuels](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) since no additional land is required to produce it.<br>
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<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) crops has driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pressed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more profitable crops-for-fuel - worsening food shortages.<br>
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<br>"Our [biodiesel](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) comes from squashing 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 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 some of their buses - and also to regional farmers for watering."<br>
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<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have up until now purchased biodiesel pumps for watering as part of an effort released by Zaynagro in 2015, said 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 increasingly unpredictable weather condition is ending up being commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, [leading](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) to [lower rains](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/).<br>
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<br>The repeating dry spells are destroying crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing countless people in the Horn of Africa to the verge of extreme appetite.<br>
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<br>The number of Kenyans in need of food aid in March surged by nearly 70 percent over a period of 8 months to 1.1 million, largely due to poor rains, according to federal government figures.<br>
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<br>With almost half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a major lack of rain, humanitarian agencies are alerting of [increased hunger](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) in the months ahead.<br>
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<br>"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to ease drought in affected locations of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its newest report.<br>
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<br>"Well below-average crop production, poor animals body conditions, and increased local food costs are anticipated, which will minimize poor homes' access to food."<br>
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<br>In Kitui's Kyuso area, the indications are currently obvious.<br>
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<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the extended dry spell.<br>
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<br>Villagers experience trekking longer distances - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty jerry cans in search of water.<br>
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<br>Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom depend on rain-fed farming, talk about plans to sell their goats to make ends satisfy if the harvest is poor.<br>
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<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH [BIODIESEL](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/)<br>
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<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are worried.<br>
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<br>A little but growing number are [shedding](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) their problem of on the weather condition - and buying irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton [seed biodiesel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) through a pay-as-you-go plan launched more than three years ago.<br>
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<br>Neighbouring farmers band together to buy the [watering](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) - at expenses starting from 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.<br>
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<br>The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free [monthly](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) instalments up until the total is settled. They buy the biodiesel 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](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pump enabled him to water a bigger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of veggies including 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 three months. With the biodiesel pump, I can make 45,000 shillings," stated Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo village, 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 improve their output.<br>
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<br>"The instalment plan is excellent. Most farmers don't have the money and can not quickly get a loan to buy a pump like this," said Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his blue [biodiesel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) pump.<br>
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<br>"Having a plan like this helps us a lot. Our yields are good which implies we can pay off the cost of the pump slowly in small quantities, and have cash left over to pay the school costs."<br>
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<br>Zaynagro's effort is still in its early stages, with few farmers having paid back the complete expense of the pumps.<br>
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<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) plans are promising because they create a circular economy by turning waste to biofuel for revenue, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, [senior partner](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
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<br>The simplicity of the model - user friendly, robust innovation, ensured supply of biodiesel combined with a pay-as-you-go scheme - could assist electrify rural Africa, he said.<br>
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<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options worldwide. The crucial issue is evaluating concepts and methods in a collaborative style," stated Sanyal.<br>
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<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area ought to attempt and learn from this experiment. Banks need to begin exploring with 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. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, residential or commercial property rights and environment change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>
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