Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Fight 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.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) Mutie [Mathoka](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) thought it needs to be a joke when he was informed he might water his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, easily and [efficiently](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) using a pump fuelled by cotton waste.<br>
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<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 examine 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 over to a neighboring tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this [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) water pump has actually helped me get higher yields, specifically during dry spell periods."<br>
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<br>[Mathoka](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) said his revenues had doubled in the 2 years he has been pumping water using 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 just good news for him - it is also [excellent news](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) for the planet.<br>
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<br>Unlike most biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making procedure.<br>
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<br>That suggests that in addition to being cleaner and more affordable than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no [extra land](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) is required to produce it.<br>
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<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) crops has actually driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pushed farmers to change from [crops-for-food](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) to more - worsening food lacks.<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 company producing the biodiesel.<br>
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<br>"We started producing and utilizing it to power our cotton ginning factory in 2011. With increased production, we now utilize it for our trucks, offer 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 actually so far bought biodiesel pumps for watering as part of an initiative introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.<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 increasingly erratic weather is ending up being commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rains.<br>
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<br>The repeating droughts are destroying crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing millions of individuals in the Horn of Africa to the edge of extreme appetite.<br>
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<br>The number of Kenyans in requirement of food aid in March rose by nearly 70 percent over a period of eight months to 1.1 million, largely due to poor rains, according to [government figures](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/).<br>
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<br>With practically half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a severe shortage of rain, humanitarian agencies are [alerting](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) of increased appetite in the months ahead.<br>
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<br>"Only light rainfall is anticipated through June ... and this is not anticipated to ease dry spell in impacted areas of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest report.<br>
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<br>"Well below-average crop production, bad animals body conditions, and increased regional food costs are prepared for, which will decrease bad families' access to food."<br>
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<br>In Kitui's Kyuso location, the signs are already evident.<br>
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<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the prolonged drought.<br>
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<br>Villagers grumble of trekking longer distances - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty [jerry cans](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) looking for water.<br>
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<br>[Small-scale](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) farmers, the majority of whom depend on rain-fed agriculture, talk about strategies to offer their goats to make ends meet if the harvest 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 worried.<br>
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<br>A little however growing number are [shedding](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) their burden of reliance on the weather - and purchasing irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) through a pay-as-you-go scheme released more than three years earlier.<br>
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<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to invest in the [irrigation](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) system - which consists of the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.<br>
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<br>The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free regular monthly instalments until the overall 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, said the biodiesel pump allowed him to irrigate a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a [variety](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) of vegetables 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," said Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo 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 significant benefit in helping improve their output.<br>
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<br>"The instalment scheme is good. Most farmers don't have the cash and can not easily get a loan to purchase a pump like this," said Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his blue biodiesel pump.<br>
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<br>"Having a plan like this helps us a lot. Our yields are excellent which implies we can settle the cost of the pump slowly in percentages, and have cash left over to pay the school charges."<br>
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<br>Zaynagro's effort is still in its early phases, with couple of farmers having paid back the full expense of the pumps.<br>
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<br>But such [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) schemes are appealing since they create a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) for profit, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
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<br>The simpleness of the design - user friendly, robust technology, guaranteed supply of [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - could assist amaze rural Africa, he said.<br>
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<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options in the world. The key concern is checking ideas and methods in a collective fashion," said Sanyal.<br>
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<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area need to try and gain from this experiment. Banks need to start exploring with 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, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and environment modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>
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