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Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Fight Drought In Kenya

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<br>By Nita Bhalla<br>
<br>KITUI, Kenya, June 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka believed it needs to be a joke when he was told he might water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, cleanly and effectively utilizing a pump sustained by cotton waste.<br>
<br>"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" 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>
<br>"But it works," he said, strolling over to a neighboring tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has assisted me get higher yields, especially throughout dry spell durations."<br>
<br>Mathoka said his revenues had doubled in the 2 years he has actually been pumping water utilizing [biodiesel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608), which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre less expensive than regular diesel.<br>
<br>The biodiesel he is using is not just excellent news for him - it is likewise good news for the world.<br>
<br>Unlike many biofuels, which are obtained from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making process.<br>
<br>That suggests that along with being cleaner and less expensive than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no [extra land](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) is required to [produce](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) it.<br>
<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) crops has actually driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pressed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - intensifying food scarcities.<br>
<br>"Our [biodiesel](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) originates from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the process of separating the seeds from raw cotton," stated Taher Zavery, managing director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based business producing the [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053).<br>
<br>"We began 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 irrigation."<br>
<br>More than 1,200 [farmers](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) in Kitui have up until now [invested](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) in biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an effort released by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.<br>
<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
<br>Climate change is taking a toll throughout east Africa and progressively erratic weather condition is ending up being commonplace in [nations](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rains.<br>
<br>The [repeating dry](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) spells are damaging crops and pastures and are starving animals - [pushing countless](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) people in the Horn of Africa to the verge of extreme appetite.<br>
<br>The number of Kenyans in need of food aid in March surged by nearly 70 percent over a duration of eight months to 1.1 million, mainly due to bad rains, according to government figures.<br>
<br>With almost half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a serious shortage of rain, humanitarian firms are alerting of increased appetite in the months ahead.<br>
<br>"Only light rains is forecast through June ... and this is not expected to reduce dry spell in affected areas of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest report.<br>
<br>"Well below-average crop production, bad animals body conditions, and increased regional food costs are anticipated, which will reduce poor homes' 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 drought.<br>
<br>Villagers grumble of [travelling](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) longer distances - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans searching for water.<br>
<br>Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom depend on rain-fed farming, go over plans to sell their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is poor.<br>
<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL<br>
<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are [stressed](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/).<br>
<br>A small but growing number are [shedding](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) their burden 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 released more than three years back.<br>
<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to buy the watering system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs starting from 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.<br>
<br>The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free month-to-month instalments until the overall is settled. They buy 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 Babu Kitheka, 39, said the [biodiesel pump](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) allowed him to irrigate a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of veggies 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 earn 45,000 shillings," said Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo town, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
<br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
<br>Other farmers indicate the scheme as a major advantage in helping improve their output.<br>
<br>"The instalment scheme is good. Most farmers don't have the money and can not quickly get a loan to buy a pump like this," stated Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood beside his blue biodiesel pump.<br>
<br>"Having a plan like this helps us a lot. Our yields are good which suggests we can pay off the cost of the pump slowly in small amounts, and have money left over to pay the school charges."<br>
<br>Zaynagro's effort is still in its early stages, with couple of farmers having actually paid back the complete cost of the pumps.<br>
<br>But such [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) schemes are appealing due to the fact that they produce a [circular economy](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) for revenue, said Sanjoy Sanyal, [senior associate](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
<br>The simplicity of the design - easy-to-use, robust technology, guaranteed supply of biodiesel combined with a pay-as-you-go scheme - could help electrify rural Africa, he stated.<br>
<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options worldwide. The essential problem is checking concepts and approaches in a collective fashion," said Sanyal.<br>
<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the region ought to attempt and gain from this experiment. Financial organizations need to start experimenting with loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers need to support experimentation."<br>
<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, females's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>