diff --git a/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Fight-Drought-In-Kenya.md b/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Fight-Drought-In-Kenya.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..fd3b54a --- /dev/null +++ b/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Fight-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 should be a joke when he was told he might irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, [cleanly](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) 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, bending down to examine 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, [walking](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) over to a neighboring tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually helped me get higher yields, especially throughout drought durations."
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Mathoka stated his revenues had doubled in the two years he has been pumping water using [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html), which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre cheaper than regular diesel.
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The biodiesel he is utilizing is not simply excellent news for him - it is likewise excellent news for the planet.
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Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making process.
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That implies that in addition to being cleaner and less expensive than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no extra land is needed to produce it.
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From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](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) crops has driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pushed farmers to switch from [crops-for-food](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) to more lucrative crops-for-fuel - intensifying food lacks.
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"Our [biodiesel](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) originates from squashing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the procedure of separating the seeds from raw cotton," said Taher Zavery, managing director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based company producing the biodiesel.
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"We started producing and utilizing it to power our cotton ginning factory in 2011. With increased production, we now use it for our trucks, sell 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 invested in [biodiesel](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) pumps for watering as part of an effort introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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Climate modification is taking a toll throughout east Africa and increasingly irregular weather is becoming commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.
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The [repeating](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) dry spells are damaging crops and pastures and are [starving animals](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) - pushing countless people in the Horn of Africa to the brink of severe appetite.
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The variety of Kenyans in requirement of food help in March surged by practically 70 percent over a duration of eight months to 1.1 million, mainly due to poor rains, according to government figures.
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With practically half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a severe shortage of rain, humanitarian firms are cautioning of increased cravings in the months ahead.
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"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to alleviate drought in impacted locations of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its most current report.
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"Well below-average crop production, bad animals body conditions, and increased regional food costs are prepared for, which will lower poor households' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso area, the signs are currently obvious.
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the extended drought.
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Villagers suffer travelling longer distances - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty jerry cans searching for water.
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Small-scale farmers, many of whom depend on rain-fed farming, talk about plans to offer their goats to make ends satisfy if the harvest is poor.
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BATTLING DROUGHT WITH [BIODIESEL](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/)
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But not all Kitui's farmers are fretted.
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A little however number are shedding their burden of dependence on the weather - and purchasing irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan launched more than three years earlier.
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Neighbouring farmers unite to invest in the watering system - which includes the [biodiesel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) pump, 12 metres of pipes 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 a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free month-to-month instalments till the total is paid off. They purchase the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 [shillings](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) a litre.
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Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the biodiesel pump [allowed](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) him to water a larger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of [veggies consisting](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) 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 make 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 point to the plan as a significant advantage in assisting enhance their output.
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"The instalment plan is excellent. Most farmers do not have the cash and can not easily get a loan to buy a pump like this," said Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood beside his blue biodiesel pump.
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"Having a scheme like this assists us a lot. Our yields are good which implies we can settle the expense of the pump gradually in percentages, and have money left over to pay the school charges."
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Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early phases, with few farmers having actually paid back the complete expense of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) [schemes](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) are promising due to the fact that they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) for earnings, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The simplicity of the model - user friendly, robust technology, ensured supply of [biodiesel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - could help [energize rural](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) Africa, he said.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options on the planet. The crucial issue is evaluating ideas and approaches in a collective fashion," said Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the area must attempt and gain from this experiment. Banks need to begin exploring with loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors need 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, home rights and [climate modification](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb). Visit http://news.trust.org)
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