Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Combat Drought In Kenya

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

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+<br>By Nita Bhalla<br>
+<br>KITUI, Kenya, June 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka thought it must be a joke when he was told he might water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and effectively utilizing a [pump fuelled](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) by cotton waste.<br>
+<br>"Who could believe it's possible to make a fuel 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 nearby tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this [biodiesel](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) water pump has actually helped me get greater yields, especially during dry spell durations."<br>
+<br>Mathoka stated his revenues had actually [doubled](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) in the two years he has been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre less expensive than routine diesel.<br>
+<br>The biodiesel he is using is not just great news for him - it is also good news for the planet.<br>
+<br>Unlike a lot of biofuels, which are stemmed from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](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 in addition to being cleaner and [cheaper](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no additional land is required to produce it.<br>
+<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) crops has actually driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pressed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - intensifying food lacks.<br>
+<br>"Our biodiesel originates 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 company producing the biodiesel.<br>
+<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, sell it to the United Nations to run a few of their buses - and also to local farmers for irrigation."<br>
+<br>More than 1,200 [farmers](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) in Kitui have actually up until now invested in biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an effort introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, [stated Zavery](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html).<br>
+<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
+<br>Climate modification is taking a toll across east Africa and progressively irregular weather condition is becoming commonplace in [countries](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to [lower rains](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd).<br>
+<br>The repeating droughts are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing countless people in the Horn of Africa to the verge of extreme cravings.<br>
+<br>The number of Kenyans in need of food aid in March rose by nearly 70 percent over a duration of 8 months to 1.1 million, mostly due to poor rains, according to [government figures](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited).<br>
+<br>With nearly half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a major shortage of rain, humanitarian firms are cautioning of [increased appetite](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) in the months ahead.<br>
+<br>"Only light rains is anticipated through June ... and this is not expected to relieve drought in affected locations of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its newest report.<br>
+<br>"Well below-average crop production, poor livestock body conditions, and increased local food prices are anticipated, which will minimize bad homes' access to food."<br>
+<br>In Kitui's Kyuso area, the signs are currently obvious.<br>
+<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the extended drought.<br>
+<br>Villagers grumble of travelling longer distances - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty jerry cans looking for water.<br>
+<br>Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom are dependent on rain-fed farming, talk about strategies to offer their goats to make ends fulfill if the harvest is poor.<br>
+<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL<br>
+<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are stressed.<br>
+<br>A small but growing number are shedding their problem of reliance on the weather condition - and buying watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go scheme [launched](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) more than three years ago.<br>
+<br>Neighbouring farmers band together to invest in the watering system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning from 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.<br>
+<br>The farmers make an  payment, then pay interest-free monthly instalments till the total is settled. They purchase the [biodiesel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
+<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the biodiesel pump [allowed](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) him to water a larger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of vegetables consisting of maize, tomatoes, [spinach](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) 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](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) 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>
+<br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
+<br>Other farmers indicate the scheme as a major benefit in assisting improve their output.<br>
+<br>"The instalment scheme is excellent. 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 beside 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 great which indicates we can settle the cost of the pump gradually in little quantities, and have cash left over to pay the school charges."<br>
+<br>Zaynagro's effort is still in its early phases, with couple of farmers having paid back the full expense of the pumps.<br>
+<br>But such [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) schemes are promising because they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) for profit, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
+<br>The simpleness of the design - user friendly, robust technology, guaranteed supply of biodiesel integrated with a [pay-as-you-go](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) plan - could help amaze rural Africa, he said.<br>
+<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives on the planet. The crucial concern is evaluating concepts and techniques in a collective style," stated Sanyal.<br>
+<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area ought to attempt and find out from this experiment. Banks must start try out loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers need to support experimentation."<br>
+<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, home rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>