Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Fight Drought In Kenya

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

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+<br>By Nita Bhalla<br>
+<br>KITUI, Kenya, June 6 ([Thomson Reuters](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka believed it needs to be a joke when he was informed he could water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, cleanly and efficiently utilizing a pump sustained by cotton waste.<br>
+<br>"Who could believe it's possible to make a fuel much better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" laughed Mathoka, crouching down to examine 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 stated, walking over to a neighboring tree and plucking a large [green pawpaw](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL). "Irrigation with this [biodiesel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) water pump has assisted me get higher yields, particularly throughout dry spell durations."<br>
+<br>Mathoka stated his revenues 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 routine diesel.<br>
+<br>The biodiesel he is utilizing is not just great news for him - it is also great news for the planet.<br>
+<br>Unlike most biofuels, which are [stemmed](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/), 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 extra land is required to produce it.<br>
+<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) crops has driven forest communities off their land and pressed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more lucrative crops-for-fuel - exacerbating food lacks.<br>
+<br>"Our [biodiesel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) originates from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the process of separating the seeds from raw cotton," said Taher Zavery, managing director of [Zaynagro](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based business producing the biodiesel.<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 so far invested in biodiesel pumps for watering as part of an effort introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.<br>
+<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
+<br>Climate change is taking a toll across east Africa and significantly unpredictable weather condition is becoming commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rains.<br>
+<br>The recurring droughts are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing millions of individuals in the Horn of Africa to the edge of extreme hunger.<br>
+<br>The number of Kenyans in requirement of food help in March surged by practically 70 percent over a period of 8 months to 1.1 million, mainly due to poor rains, according to government figures.<br>
+<br>With nearly half Kenya's 47 [counties declared](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) to have a serious lack of rain, humanitarian companies are cautioning of increased appetite in the months ahead.<br>
+<br>"Only light rains is anticipated through June ... and this is not expected to ease dry spell in impacted locations of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its newest report.<br>
+<br>"Well below-average crop production, bad animals body conditions, and increased regional food rates are expected, which will minimize poor homes' access to food."<br>
+<br>In Kitui's Kyuso area, the indications are currently evident.<br>
+<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the extended drought.<br>
+<br>Villagers complain of travelling longer distances - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their [donkeys](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) loaded with empty jerry cans looking for water.<br>
+<br>Small-scale farmers, most of whom depend on rain-fed farming, [discuss plans](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) to offer their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is poor.<br>
+<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL<br>
+<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are stressed.<br>
+<br>A little however growing number are shedding their problem of reliance on the [weather condition](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) - 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>
+<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to invest in the irrigation system - which consists of the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of [biodiesel -](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) at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.<br>
+<br>The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free month-to-month instalments until the overall is paid off. They purchase the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80  a litre.<br>
+<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) pump allowed him to water a larger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety 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 3 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 point to the scheme as a significant advantage in assisting enhance their output.<br>
+<br>"The instalment plan is great. Most farmers don't have the cash and can not easily get a loan to purchase a pump like this," stated 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>
+<br>"Having a scheme like this helps us a lot. Our yields are good which means we can settle the expense of the pump gradually in percentages, and have cash left over to pay the school charges."<br>
+<br>[Zaynagro's initiative](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) is still in its early stages, with couple of farmers having repaid the complete cost of the pumps.<br>
+<br>But such [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) schemes are promising due to the fact that they produce a [circular economy](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) for earnings, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
+<br>The simplicity of the model - user friendly, robust innovation, assured supply of [biodiesel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) combined with a pay-as-you-go plan - might help amaze rural Africa, he stated.<br>
+<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives worldwide. The key problem is evaluating ideas and techniques in a collaborative style," said Sanyal.<br>
+<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the region should try and gain from this experiment. Financial institutions must start try out loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors need to support experimentation."<br>
+<br>($1 = 101.3000 Kenyan shillings) (Reporting by Nita Bhalla @nitabhalla, Editing by [Claire Cozens](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608). 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 environment modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>