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..03213d3 --- /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 thought it should be a joke when he was told he could water his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, easily and efficiently using a pump sustained by cotton waste.
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"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" chuckled Mathoka, bending down to inspect 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 said, walking over to a close-by tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this [biodiesel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) water pump has assisted me get higher yields, especially throughout drought periods."
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Mathoka stated his incomes had doubled in the 2 years he has been pumping water utilizing [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html), 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 using is not just excellent news for him - it is also good news for the planet.
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Unlike a lot of biofuels, which are obtained from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making procedure.
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That suggests that along with being cleaner and less expensive than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no additional land is required to produce it.
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From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) crops has [driven forest](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) [neighborhoods](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) off their land and pressed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more lucrative crops-for-fuel - worsening 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, managing [director](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based company producing the biodiesel.
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"We began producing and using it to power our cotton ginning factory in 2011. With increased production, we now use it for our trucks, offer it to the United Nations to run a few of their buses - and likewise to local farmers for irrigation."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have so far invested in [biodiesel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) pumps for irrigation as part of an initiative introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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Climate modification is taking a toll across east Africa and significantly irregular weather is becoming commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rains.
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The recurring droughts are damaging crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing millions of individuals in the Horn of Africa to the brink of extreme appetite.
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The [variety](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) of Kenyans in requirement of food help in March surged by nearly 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 nearly half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a severe lack of rain, humanitarian companies are cautioning of increased hunger in the months ahead.
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"Only light rainfall is anticipated through June ... and this is not anticipated to relieve drought in impacted areas of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its newest report.
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"Well below-average crop production, poor livestock body conditions, and increased regional food costs are prepared for, which will reduce poor families' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso location, the indications are already evident.
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the prolonged dry spell.
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Villagers experience travelling longer [ranges -](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) sometimes more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans in search of water.
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[Small-scale](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) farmers, most of whom are dependent on farming, talk about strategies to offer their goats to make ends satisfy if the harvest is bad.
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BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL
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But not all Kitui's farmers are fretted.
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A small however growing number are shedding their burden of reliance on the weather - and investing in watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan introduced more than three years earlier.
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Neighbouring farmers unite to invest in the [irrigation](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) system - that includes the [biodiesel](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) pump, 12 metres of pipes 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 an initial payment, then pay interest-free monthly instalments up until the overall is paid off. 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 allowed him to water a [larger portion](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of vegetables 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 earn 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](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) point to the plan as a major advantage in assisting enhance their output.
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"The instalment scheme is good. 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 beside his blue [biodiesel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) pump.
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"Having a scheme like this assists us a lot. Our yields are great which implies we can settle the expense of the pump slowly in little amounts, and have cash left over to pay the school fees."
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Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early phases, with couple of [farmers](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) having actually paid back the complete [expense](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) of the pumps.
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But such [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) plans are appealing due to the fact that they create a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) for profit, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The simplicity of the model - user friendly, robust technology, guaranteed supply of biodiesel combined with a pay-as-you-go scheme - could assist energize rural Africa, he stated.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices in the world. The crucial problem is checking ideas and approaches in a collective fashion," [stated Sanyal](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/).
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the region need to try and discover 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, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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