Add 'Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Combat 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.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) Mutie Mathoka believed it needs to be a joke when he was told he could 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 think 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 stated, walking over to a neighboring tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually assisted me get higher yields, particularly during dry spell durations."<br>
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<br>Mathoka stated his earnings had actually [doubled](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) in the two years he has actually been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more [effective](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) 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 just good news for him - it is also good news 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 curcas](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making procedure.<br>
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<br>That means that in addition to being cleaner and more affordable than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no extra 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 actually driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pressed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more rewarding crops-for-fuel - worsening food shortages.<br>
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<br>"Our biodiesel comes from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the procedure of separating the seeds from raw cotton," said Taher Zavery, handling director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based business 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 some of their buses - and likewise to local farmers for watering."<br>
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<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually so far bought [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pumps for irrigation as part of an effort launched 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 [progressively irregular](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) weather condition is becoming commonplace in countries 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 millions of people in the Horn of Africa to the brink of extreme appetite.<br>
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<br>The variety of in need of food help in March rose by nearly 70 percent over a period of 8 months to 1.1 million, largely due to poor rains, according to government figures.<br>
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<br>With almost half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a severe shortage of rain, humanitarian agencies are cautioning of increased hunger in the months ahead.<br>
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<br>"Only light rains is forecast through June ... and this is not expected to relieve drought in affected areas of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its most current report.<br>
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<br>"Well below-average crop production, bad animals body conditions, and increased local food rates are expected, which will minimize poor homes' access to food."<br>
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<br>In Kitui's Kyuso location, the indications are already apparent.<br>
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<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the extended drought.<br>
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<br>Villagers grumble of travelling longer ranges - in some cases 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, most of whom depend on rain-fed agriculture, discuss strategies to offer their goats to make ends satisfy if the [harvest](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) 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 small however growing number are [shedding](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) their concern of dependence on the weather condition - and buying irrigation [systems](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) powered by Zaynagro's cotton [seed biodiesel](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) through a pay-as-you-go scheme introduced more than three years earlier.<br>
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<br>Neighbouring farmers band together to buy the irrigation system - which consists of the [biodiesel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning from 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.<br>
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<br>The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free regular monthly instalments till 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](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) Babu Kitheka, 39, stated 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 allowed him to irrigate a bigger part 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](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) 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 indicate the scheme as a [major benefit](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) in helping enhance their output.<br>
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<br>"The instalment scheme is great. Most farmers do not 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 pump.<br>
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<br>"Having a scheme like this assists us a lot. Our yields are excellent which indicates we can pay off the expense of the pump slowly in percentages, and have cash left over to pay the school charges."<br>
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<br>Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early phases, with couple of farmers having repaid the full cost of the pumps.<br>
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<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) plans are promising due to the fact that they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) for revenue, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
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<br>The simpleness of the [model -](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) user friendly, robust innovation, ensured supply of [biodiesel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) integrated with a pay-as-you-go scheme - could help amaze rural Africa, he stated.<br>
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<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices on the planet. The essential issue is checking concepts and approaches in a collective fashion," [stated Sanyal](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86).<br>
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<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area ought to attempt and gain from this experiment. Financial institutions should begin explore 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, ladies's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, residential or commercial property rights and climate modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>
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