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 [Mutie Mathoka](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) believed it needs to be a joke when he was told he might water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, [cleanly](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) and efficiently utilizing a pump fuelled by .<br>
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<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 inspect 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 stated, walking over to a nearby tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually assisted me get higher yields, particularly throughout drought periods."<br>
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<br>Mathoka said his revenues had doubled in the two years he has actually been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre less expensive than regular diesel.<br>
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<br>The biodiesel he is using is not simply excellent news for him - it is also great news for the planet.<br>
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<br>Unlike many biofuels, which are obtained from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited), it is made from a by-product of the [cotton-making procedure](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited).<br>
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<br>That means that along with being cleaner and cheaper than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels due to the fact that no extra land is required to produce it.<br>
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<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) crops has driven forest communities off their land and pressed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more profitable crops-for-fuel - exacerbating [food scarcities](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html).<br>
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<br>"Our [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) comes from squashing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the procedure of separating the seeds from raw cotton," said Taher Zavery, managing director of [Zaynagro Industries](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) Ltd, the Kitui-based company producing the biodiesel.<br>
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<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 likewise to regional farmers for irrigation."<br>
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<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now bought biodiesel pumps for watering as part of an initiative introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.<br>
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<br>[DRY RIVER](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) BEDS<br>
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<br>Climate modification is taking a toll throughout east Africa and increasingly irregular weather is ending up being commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rainfall.<br>
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<br>The repeating dry spells are destroying crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing [countless individuals](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) in the Horn of Africa to the edge of severe hunger.<br>
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<br>The number of [Kenyans](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) in need of [food aid](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) in March surged by nearly 70 percent over a period of eight months to 1.1 million, mostly due to bad rains, according to government figures.<br>
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<br>With nearly [half Kenya's](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) 47 counties stated to have a major shortage of rain, humanitarian agencies are cautioning of increased appetite in the months ahead.<br>
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<br>"Only light rainfall is anticipated through June ... and this is not expected to relieve dry spell in affected locations of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest report.<br>
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<br>"Well below-average crop production, poor livestock body conditions, and increased regional food costs are expected, which will decrease poor homes' access to food."<br>
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<br>In Kitui's Kyuso area, the signs are already apparent.<br>
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<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the extended drought.<br>
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<br>Villagers experience travelling longer distances - sometimes more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty jerry cans looking for water.<br>
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<br>Small-scale farmers, most of whom are reliant on rain-fed farming, go over strategies to offer their goats to make ends satisfy 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 stressed.<br>
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<br>A small however growing number are shedding their burden of reliance on the weather - and buying watering 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 scheme introduced more than 3 years back.<br>
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<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to invest in the irrigation system - which includes the [biodiesel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at [expenses](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) 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 paid off. They purchase 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](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pump permitted him to water a larger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of vegetables 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 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 scheme as a major advantage in helping enhance their output.<br>
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<br>"The instalment scheme 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.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) pump.<br>
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<br>"Having a scheme like this helps us a lot. Our yields are excellent which implies we can settle the expense of the pump slowly in percentages, and have money left over to pay the school costs."<br>
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<br>Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early phases, with couple of farmers having actually repaid the complete expense of the pumps.<br>
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<br>But such [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) schemes are promising due to the fact that they develop a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) 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 integrated with a pay-as-you-go scheme - might assist electrify rural Africa, he said.<br>
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<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options on the planet. The crucial concern is testing concepts and techniques in a collective style," said Sanyal.<br>
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<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the region need to attempt and discover from this experiment. Financial organizations need to start explore 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](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) 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, property rights and environment change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>
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