diff --git a/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Eliminate-Drought-In-Kenya.md b/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Eliminate-Drought-In-Kenya.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0edb7be --- /dev/null +++ b/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Eliminate-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](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) thought it needs to be a joke when he was told he might water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and efficiently 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 in Ituri town in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.
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"But it works," he stated, walking over to a close-by tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has assisted me get higher yields, especially during drought durations."
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Mathoka stated his profits had doubled in the 2 years he has been pumping water utilizing [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 less expensive than routine diesel.
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The biodiesel he is using is not simply excellent news for him - it is likewise good news for the world.
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Unlike many biofuels, which are stemmed from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making procedure.
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That indicates that along with being cleaner and more affordable than regular fuel, it is more [sustainable](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) 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.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) crops has driven forest communities off their land and [pushed farmers](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) to switch from crops-for-food to more rewarding crops-for-fuel - intensifying food shortages.
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"Our biodiesel originates from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the process of separating the seeds from raw cotton," stated Taher Zavery, handling director of [Zaynagro](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based company producing the biodiesel.
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"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 a few of their buses - and also to local farmers for irrigation."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have so far invested in biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an effort launched by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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Climate modification is taking a toll throughout and significantly [irregular weather](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) is ending up being commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rains.
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The repeating dry spells are destroying crops and [pastures](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) and are starving animals - pushing millions of people in the Horn of Africa to the verge of extreme hunger.
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The variety of Kenyans in requirement of food help in March rose by almost 70 percent over a period of 8 months to 1.1 million, mostly due to bad rains, according to federal government figures.
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With almost half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a serious scarcity of rain, humanitarian agencies are cautioning of increased hunger in the months ahead.
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"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not expected to reduce dry spell in impacted areas of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early [Warning Systems](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) Network in its newest report.
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"Well below-average crop production, poor animals body conditions, and increased local food prices are prepared for, which will decrease bad homes' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso location, the indications are currently evident.
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the prolonged dry spell.
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Villagers grumble of travelling longer ranges - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty jerry cans in search of water.
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Small-scale farmers, most of whom are [reliant](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) on rain-fed agriculture, [discuss strategies](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) to offer their goats to make ends fulfill if the harvest is bad.
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BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL
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But not all Kitui's farmers are worried.
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A small but growing number are shedding their burden of dependence on the weather condition - and buying irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) through a [pay-as-you-go plan](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) introduced more than 3 years back.
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Neighbouring farmers band together to buy the watering system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at expenses starting from 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.
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The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free month-to-month instalments until the overall is settled. They buy the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.
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Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the biodiesel pump [enabled](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) him to water a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of veggies including 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," said Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo village, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.
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CIRCULAR ECONOMY
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Other farmers indicate the plan as a significant [benefit](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) in [helping enhance](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) their output.
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"The instalment plan is excellent. Most farmers do not have the money and can not quickly get a loan to purchase 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 great which suggests we can pay off the cost of the pump slowly in little amounts, and have money left over to pay the school fees."
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Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early stages, with couple of farmers having actually repaid the complete cost of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) plans are appealing since they create a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) for earnings, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The simpleness of the model - easy-to-use, robust innovation, assured supply of biodiesel combined with a pay-as-you-go scheme - might [assist electrify](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) rural Africa, he said.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices worldwide. The crucial concern is evaluating ideas and approaches in a collective style," stated Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the region ought to try and gain from this experiment. Banks need to start 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, females's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, residential or commercial property rights and climate [modification](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US). Visit http://news.trust.org)
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