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Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Eliminate Drought In Kenya

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<br>By Nita Bhalla<br>
<br>KITUI, Kenya, June 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka believed it needs to be a joke when he was informed he might irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, cleanly and effectively utilizing a pump fuelled by cotton waste.<br>
<br>"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel much 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](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) in Ituri town in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.<br>
<br>"But it works," he stated, walking over to a neighboring tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has helped me get higher yields, especially during dry spell durations."<br>
<br>Mathoka stated his [incomes](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) had doubled in the two years he has actually been [pumping water](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) utilizing biodiesel, which is both more [efficient](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre more affordable than routine diesel.<br>
<br>The [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) he is utilizing is not simply excellent news for him - it is also good news for the planet.<br>
<br>Unlike many biofuels, which are obtained from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making process.<br>
<br>That implies that as well as being cleaner and more affordable than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels due to the fact that no extra land is needed to produce it.<br>
<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to [cultivate biofuel](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) crops has driven forest communities off their land and pressed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more rewarding crops-for-fuel - intensifying food scarcities.<br>
<br>"Our biodiesel comes from squashing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the procedure of separating the seeds from raw cotton," stated Taher Zavery, handling director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based company producing the biodiesel.<br>
<br>"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 a few of their buses - and likewise to regional farmers for irrigation."<br>
<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now bought [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) pumps for watering as part of an effort introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.<br>
<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
<br>[Climate](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) modification is taking a toll throughout east Africa and progressively irregular weather is ending up being commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rains.<br>
<br>The repeating dry spells are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing millions of people in the Horn of Africa to the verge of severe appetite.<br>
<br>The number of Kenyans in requirement of food aid in March rose by almost 70 percent over a duration of 8 months to 1.1 million, largely due to poor rains, according to federal government figures.<br>
<br>With almost [half Kenya's](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) 47 counties declared to have a severe shortage of rain, humanitarian agencies are cautioning of [increased appetite](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) in the months ahead.<br>
<br>"Only light rains is forecast through June ... and this is not expected to alleviate drought in affected locations of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its newest report.<br>
<br>"Well below-average crop production, bad animals body conditions, and increased local food rates are prepared for, which will reduce poor households' access to food."<br>
<br>In Kitui's Kyuso area, the indications are already obvious.<br>
<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the [prolonged drought](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price).<br>
<br>Villagers suffer travelling longer ranges - sometimes more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty jerry cans in search of water.<br>
<br>Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom depend on [rain-fed](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) agriculture, talk about strategies to offer their goats to make ends fulfill if the harvest is bad.<br>
<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH [BIODIESEL](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html)<br>
<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are worried.<br>
<br>A small however growing number are shedding their [concern](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 reliance on the weather - and buying irrigation systems powered by [Zaynagro's](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) cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan released more than three years back.<br>
<br>Neighbouring farmers band together to purchase the irrigation system - that includes the [biodiesel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of [biodiesel](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) - at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.<br>
<br>The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free monthly instalments until the total is settled. They buy the to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 [shillings](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) a litre.<br>
<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the biodiesel pump enabled him to water a larger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range 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 three months. With the biodiesel pump, I can earn 45,000 shillings," stated Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo town, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
<br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
<br>Other farmers indicate the plan as a major advantage in assisting improve their output.<br>
<br>"The instalment scheme is excellent. Most farmers do not have the cash and can not quickly get a loan to purchase a pump like this," stated Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his [blue biodiesel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) pump.<br>
<br>"Having a scheme like this assists us a lot. Our yields are good which implies we can pay off the expense of the pump gradually in percentages, and have cash left over to pay the school costs."<br>
<br>Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early phases, with few farmers having actually repaid the full cost of the pumps.<br>
<br>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) schemes are appealing since they create a circular economy by turning waste to biofuel for revenue, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
<br>The simpleness of the model - easy-to-use, robust technology, guaranteed supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - might help amaze rural Africa, he stated.<br>
<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options worldwide. The key problem is testing ideas and techniques in a collaborative fashion," stated Sanyal.<br>
<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area need to attempt and gain from this experiment. Financial institutions need to start explore 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 environment change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>