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..9a5ee48 --- /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 Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka thought it must be a joke when he was told he could water his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, cleanly and efficiently using a pump sustained by cotton waste.
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"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" laughed Mathoka, bending down to inspect the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri village in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.
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"But it works," he stated, strolling over to a neighboring tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually helped me get higher yields, specifically throughout dry spell periods."
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Mathoka stated his revenues had doubled in the two years he has been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre less expensive than regular diesel.
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The [biodiesel](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) he is utilizing is not just great news for him - it is also good news for the planet.
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Unlike a lot of biofuels, which are obtained from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.
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That indicates that as well as being cleaner and more affordable than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels due to the fact that no additional land is required to produce it.
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From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) crops has driven forest [neighborhoods](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) off their land and pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more rewarding crops-for-fuel - intensifying food [shortages](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/).
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"Our biodiesel originates from squashing 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](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608).
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"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 also to regional farmers for watering."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have so far invested in [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pumps for irrigation as part of an initiative released by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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[Climate](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) change is taking a toll throughout east Africa and increasingly unpredictable weather is ending up being commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rains.
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The repeating droughts are destroying crops and pastures and are starving animals - of people in the Horn of Africa to the verge of extreme appetite.
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The variety of Kenyans in requirement of food aid in March rose by practically 70 percent over a period of eight months to 1.1 million, largely due to bad rains, according to government figures.
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With almost half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a major lack of rain, humanitarian agencies are [warning](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) of [increased hunger](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) in the months ahead.
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"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to relieve drought in affected locations of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its most current report.
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"Well below-average crop production, bad livestock body conditions, and increased regional food costs are anticipated, which will reduce bad families' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso location, the signs are currently apparent.
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the extended drought.
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Villagers experience trekking longer distances - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty jerry cans in search of water.
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Small-scale farmers, most of whom depend on rain-fed agriculture, go over strategies 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 condition - and investing in watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan launched more than 3 years earlier.
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Neighbouring farmers unite to invest in the irrigation system - that includes the [biodiesel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.
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The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free [month-to-month](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) instalments up until the overall is settled. They buy the [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.
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Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the [biodiesel](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) pump enabled him to irrigate a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of vegetables consisting of maize, tomatoes, spinach and sweet potatoes.
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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 town, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.
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CIRCULAR ECONOMY
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Other farmers indicate the scheme as a significant benefit in helping improve their output.
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"The instalment scheme is great. Most farmers don't have the cash and can not easily get a loan to buy a pump like this," said Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his blue biodiesel pump.
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"Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are great which suggests we can pay off the cost of the pump slowly in percentages, and have money left over to pay the school charges."
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[Zaynagro's effort](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) is still in its early stages, with couple of [farmers](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) having actually paid back the complete [expense](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) plans are promising since they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) for revenue, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The simplicity of the design - easy-to-use, robust innovation, ensured supply of biodiesel combined with a [pay-as-you-go scheme](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) - might [assist amaze](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) rural Africa, he said.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options worldwide. The key issue is testing ideas and techniques in a collective style," stated Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the area need to try and learn from this experiment. Financial organizations 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, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and environment modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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