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Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Combat Drought In Kenya

Francesca Ruggieri 2025-01-12 17:33:09 +08:00
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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 informed he might [irrigate](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, cleanly and [efficiently](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) using a pump fuelled by cotton waste.<br>
<br>"Who could believe it's possible to make a fuel much better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" chuckled Mathoka, crouching down to examine the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri town in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.<br>
<br>"But it works," he said, strolling over to a close-by tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this [biodiesel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) water pump has actually helped me get higher yields, particularly throughout drought durations."<br>
<br>Mathoka said his profits had doubled in the two years he has actually been pumping water utilizing [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053), which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre cheaper than routine diesel.<br>
<br>The biodiesel he is utilizing is not just excellent news for him - it is also good news for the world.<br>
<br>Unlike many biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making procedure.<br>
<br>That means that in addition to being cleaner and cheaper than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no additional land is needed to it.<br>
<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) crops has driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pressed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more profitable crops-for-fuel - exacerbating food shortages.<br>
<br>"Our biodiesel comes 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](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) company producing the biodiesel.<br>
<br>"We began producing and utilizing 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 a few of their buses - and likewise to regional farmers for watering."<br>
<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have so far purchased [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) pumps for watering as part of an initiative introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.<br>
<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
<br>Climate modification is taking a toll across east Africa and significantly erratic [weather condition](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) is ending up being commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rainfall.<br>
<br>The repeating droughts are [damaging crops](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) and pastures and are starving animals - pressing millions of individuals in the Horn of Africa to the verge of severe hunger.<br>
<br>The number of Kenyans in requirement of food aid in March surged by nearly 70 percent over a period of 8 months to 1.1 million, mainly due to bad rains, according to [federal government](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) figures.<br>
<br>With almost half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a severe scarcity of rain, humanitarian agencies are warning of increased appetite in the months ahead.<br>
<br>"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not expected to ease dry spell in impacted areas of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest report.<br>
<br>"Well below-average crop production, poor livestock body conditions, and increased regional food prices are expected, which will minimize bad families' access to food."<br>
<br>In Kitui's Kyuso area, the indications are already evident.<br>
<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the prolonged dry spell.<br>
<br>Villagers complain of travelling longer distances - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty jerry cans looking for water.<br>
<br>Small-scale farmers, the [majority](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) of whom depend on rain-fed agriculture, discuss plans to sell 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 however growing number are shedding their concern of reliance on the weather - and purchasing watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan introduced more than 3 years ago.<br>
<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to invest in the watering system - which consists of the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.<br>
<br>The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free monthly instalments up until the overall is settled. They purchase the [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
<br>[Farmer Alex](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) Babu Kitheka, 39, said the biodiesel pump enabled him to irrigate a larger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of vegetables including maize, tomatoes, spinach 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 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](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048).<br>
<br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
<br>Other farmers indicate the scheme as a significant benefit in assisting improve their output.<br>
<br>"The instalment plan is excellent. Most farmers do not have the money and can not quickly get a loan to purchase a pump like this," said Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his blue biodiesel pump.<br>
<br>"Having a scheme like this assists us a lot. Our yields are good which indicates we can pay off the cost of the pump slowly in small quantities, and have money left over to pay the school costs."<br>
<br>Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early phases, with couple of farmers having actually paid back the full expense of the pumps.<br>
<br>But such [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) schemes are promising because they create a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) for revenue, said Sanjoy Sanyal, [senior partner](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
<br>The simpleness of the design - user friendly, robust technology, ensured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - might assist energize rural Africa, he said.<br>
<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives worldwide. The essential concern is evaluating concepts and techniques in a collaborative fashion," stated Sanyal.<br>
<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area ought to try and learn from this experiment. Banks ought to begin experimenting with loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors need to support experimentation."<br>
<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](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) news, [women's](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) and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, residential or commercial property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>