diff --git a/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Combat-Drought-In-Kenya.md b/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Combat-Drought-In-Kenya.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8fa3b95 --- /dev/null +++ b/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Combat-Drought-In-Kenya.md @@ -0,0 +1,40 @@ +
By Nita Bhalla
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KITUI, Kenya, June 6 ([Thomson Reuters](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) Foundation) [- Kenyan](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka thought it should be a joke when he was informed he could irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and effectively using a pump fuelled by cotton waste.
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"Who could believe 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](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) in Ituri town in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.
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"But it works," he stated, walking over to a nearby tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this [biodiesel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) water pump has actually assisted me get higher yields, specifically during dry spell periods."
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[Mathoka stated](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) his profits had actually doubled in the two years he has actually been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre cheaper than routine diesel.
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The biodiesel he is using is not simply great news for him - it is likewise good news for the world.
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Unlike a lot of biofuels, which are derived from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making process.
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That means that in addition to being cleaner and cheaper than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no additional land is required to produce it.
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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 profitable crops-for-fuel - intensifying food shortages.
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"Our biodiesel comes from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the procedure of separating the seeds from raw cotton," stated Taher Zavery, managing director of [Zaynagro Industries](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) Ltd, the Kitui-based company [producing](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) the biodiesel.
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"We started producing and using it to power our cotton ginning factory in 2011. With increased production, we now use it for our trucks, offer it to the United Nations to run some of their buses - and likewise to regional farmers for watering."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now [purchased biodiesel](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) pumps for watering as part of an initiative released by in 2015, stated Zavery.
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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Climate change is taking a toll throughout east Africa and increasingly unpredictable weather condition is ending up being commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rains.
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The recurring dry spells are destroying crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing millions of people in the Horn of Africa to the verge of severe appetite.
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The variety of Kenyans in requirement of food aid in March rose by nearly 70 percent over a duration of 8 months to 1.1 million, largely due to bad rains, according to federal government figures.
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With nearly half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a severe scarcity of rain, humanitarian agencies are alerting of increased appetite in the months ahead.
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"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not expected to minimize drought in impacted locations of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest report.
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"Well below-average crop production, bad livestock body conditions, and increased regional food rates are expected, which will reduce bad households' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso area, the indications are currently evident.
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the prolonged dry spell.
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Villagers complain of travelling longer distances - sometimes more than 10 km (6 miles) with their [donkeys loaded](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) with empty jerry cans in search of water.
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Small-scale farmers, the [majority](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) of whom depend on rain-fed agriculture, discuss plans to offer their goats to make ends fulfill if the harvest is poor.
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BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL
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But not all Kitui's farmers are stressed.
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A small but growing number are shedding their problem of dependence on the weather - and [purchasing watering](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go scheme released more than 3 years ago.
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Neighbouring farmers band together to purchase the irrigation system - which includes the [biodiesel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) - at costs starting from 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.
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The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free monthly instalments up until the overall is paid off. They purchase the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.
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Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the [biodiesel pump](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) allowed him to water a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of vegetables including maize, tomatoes, spinach and [sweet potatoes](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm).
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"With a diesel pump, maize yields were lower and I would get 15,000 shillings in 3 months. With the biodiesel pump, I can earn 45,000 shillings," said Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo village, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.
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CIRCULAR ECONOMY
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Other farmers point to the plan as a significant advantage in helping enhance their output.
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"The instalment plan is excellent. Most farmers don't have the cash and can not quickly get a loan to purchase a pump like this," stated Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood beside his blue [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pump.
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"Having a plan like this helps us a lot. Our yields are great which suggests we can settle the expense of the pump gradually in small quantities, and have cash left over to pay the school charges."
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Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early stages, with couple of farmers having repaid the full cost of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) schemes are appealing since they develop 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.
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The simpleness of the design - easy-to-use, robust technology, ensured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go scheme - might assist electrify rural Africa, he stated.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options in the world. The essential concern is checking concepts and approaches in a collective style," stated Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the region ought to attempt and gain from this experiment. Financial institutions should begin experimenting with loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers require to support experimentation."
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($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, property rights and [environment modification](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048). Visit http://news.trust.org)
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