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Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Combat Drought In Kenya

Jayson Mirams 2025-01-12 03:02:47 +03:00
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<br>By Nita Bhalla<br>
<br>KITUI, Kenya, June 6 ( Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka believed it should be a joke when he was informed he could irrigate his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, cleanly and efficiently using a pump fuelled by cotton waste.<br>
<br>"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" laughed Mathoka, [crouching](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) down to check the [watermelons](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri town in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.<br>
<br>"But it works," he stated, walking over to a [close-by tree](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) water pump has helped me get higher yields, especially during drought periods."<br>
<br>Mathoka stated his [earnings](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) had doubled in the 2 years he has been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre more [affordable](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) than regular diesel.<br>
<br>The [biodiesel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) he is utilizing is not just excellent news for him - it is also good news for the world.<br>
<br>Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are obtained from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048), it is made from a [by-product](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) of the cotton-making procedure.<br>
<br>That means that in addition to being cleaner and more affordable than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no additional land is needed 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://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) crops has driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pushed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more lucrative crops-for-fuel - worsening food lacks.<br>
<br>"Our biodiesel comes from squashing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the process of separating the seeds from raw cotton," said Taher Zavery, managing director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based company 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, sell 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 in Kitui have up until now purchased biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an effort introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.<br>
<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
<br>Climate modification is taking a toll across east Africa and progressively unpredictable weather is becoming [commonplace](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rainfall.<br>
<br>The repeating droughts are damaging crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing millions of people in the Horn of Africa to the edge of extreme cravings.<br>
<br>The number of Kenyans in requirement of food help in March rose by almost 70 percent over a period of 8 months to 1.1 million, mainly due to poor rains, according to federal government figures.<br>
<br>With almost half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a severe lack of rain, humanitarian firms are warning of increased cravings in the months ahead.<br>
<br>"Only light rains is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to relieve dry spell in impacted locations of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its newest report.<br>
<br>"Well below-average crop production, bad animals body conditions, and increased regional food rates are anticipated, which will lower bad homes' access to food."<br>
<br>In Kitui's Kyuso area, the indications are currently apparent.<br>
<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the extended drought.<br>
<br>Villagers grumble of travelling longer distances - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty jerry cans searching for water.<br>
<br>Small-scale farmers, many of whom depend on rain-fed farming, discuss strategies to sell their goats to make ends satisfy if the [harvest](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) is poor.<br>
<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL<br>
<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are worried.<br>
<br>A little but growing number are shedding their burden of dependence on the weather - and purchasing watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) through a pay-as-you-go scheme released more than 3 years ago.<br>
<br>[Neighbouring farmers](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) unite to buy the [irrigation](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) system - which includes the [biodiesel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) - at costs beginning 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 up until the total is paid off. They buy the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the biodiesel pump 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 village, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
<br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
<br>Other farmers point to the plan as a major advantage in assisting enhance their output.<br>
<br>"The instalment plan is great. Most farmers don't have the cash and can not easily 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 helps us a lot. Our yields are excellent which indicates we can pay off the expense of the pump gradually in little amounts, and have cash left over to pay the school charges."<br>
<br>Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early phases, with couple of farmers having repaid the complete cost of the pumps.<br>
<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) schemes are appealing since they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) for profit, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
<br>The simpleness of the design - easy-to-use, robust technology, guaranteed supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go scheme - could help energize rural Africa, he stated.<br>
<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices in the world. The key issue is checking ideas and approaches in a collaborative style," said Sanyal.<br>
<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the region must try and learn from this experiment. Banks must begin exploring with loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors require 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, ladies's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and climate modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>