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..429c0a8 --- /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](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka believed it needs to be a joke when he was [informed](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) he might water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, cleanly and effectively using a pump sustained by cotton waste.
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"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel much better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" chuckled Mathoka, crouching down to inspect the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) [shared plot](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) in Ituri town in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.
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"But it works," he stated, walking 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 dry spell periods."
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Mathoka said his revenues had doubled in the 2 years he has actually been pumping water using [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 less expensive than regular diesel.
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The biodiesel he is [utilizing](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) is not simply great news for him - it is likewise great 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 curcas](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making procedure.
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That implies that as well as being cleaner and less expensive than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no additional land is needed to produce it.
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From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) crops has actually driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more profitable crops-for-fuel - intensifying food shortages.
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"Our [biodiesel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) 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 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 utilize it for our trucks, offer it to the United Nations to run some of their buses - and also to local farmers for watering."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now invested in biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an effort launched by Zaynagro in 2015, stated 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 condition is becoming commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.
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The repeating droughts are [destroying crops](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) and pastures and are starving animals - pressing millions of people in the Horn of Africa to the edge of extreme hunger.
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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 poor rains, according to government figures.
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With practically half [Kenya's](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) 47 counties stated to have a severe lack of rain, humanitarian agencies are warning of increased appetite in the months ahead.
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"Only light rains is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to minimize dry spell in affected areas of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its newest report.
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"Well below-average crop production, bad animals body conditions, and increased local food prices are expected, which will reduce poor households' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso location, the signs are currently obvious.
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Rivers, [water pans](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) and dams are drying up as an of the extended dry spell.
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Villagers experience trekking longer ranges - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty jerry cans looking for water.
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Small-scale farmers, many of whom depend on rain-fed farming, talk about plans to sell their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is poor.
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BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL
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But not all Kitui's [farmers](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) are stressed.
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A little but growing number are shedding their burden of [dependence](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) on the weather - and buying irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go scheme released more than 3 years earlier.
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Neighbouring farmers unite to buy the irrigation system - which consists of the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at expenses 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 until the overall is [settled](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile). They buy the [biodiesel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) to run the pumps from [Zaynagro](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) at 80 shillings a litre.
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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 range of veggies 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 three months. With the biodiesel pump, I can make 45,000 shillings," stated 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 scheme as a significant benefit in [assisting improve](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) their output.
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"The instalment scheme is great. 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](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) pump.
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"Having a scheme like this helps us a lot. Our yields are great which means we can pay off the cost of the pump gradually in small quantities, and have money left over to pay the school charges."
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Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early stages, with couple of farmers having repaid the full cost of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) plans are promising since they develop a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) for revenue, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The simpleness of the model - user friendly, robust innovation, assured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - could help energize rural Africa, he stated.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices worldwide. The crucial problem is testing ideas and techniques in a collective style," said Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the region should attempt and gain from this experiment. Banks ought to start explore loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers need to support experimentation."
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($1 = 101.3000 Kenyan shillings) (Reporting by [Nita Bhalla](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) @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, home rights and environment modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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