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Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Eliminate Drought In Kenya

Art May 2025-01-12 17:42:34 +08:00
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<br>By Nita Bhalla<br>
<br>KITUI, Kenya, June 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka believed it must be a joke when he was told he might water his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, easily and efficiently using a pump sustained by cotton waste.<br>
<br>"Who could believe it's possible to make a fuel much better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" laughed Mathoka, bending down to inspect the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri town in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.<br>
<br>"But it works," he said, walking over to a nearby tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this [biodiesel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) water pump has actually assisted me get greater yields, particularly throughout drought periods."<br>
<br>Mathoka said his earnings had actually [doubled](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) in the two years he has been pumping water utilizing [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd), which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre cheaper than regular diesel.<br>
<br>The biodiesel he is using is not simply good news for him - it is likewise good news for the world.<br>
<br>Unlike most biofuels, which are stemmed from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.<br>
<br>That means that along with being cleaner and more affordable than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels due to the fact that no additional land is [required](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) to produce it.<br>
<br>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 successful crops-for-fuel - worsening [food lacks](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889).<br>
<br>"Our biodiesel comes from squashing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the process of separating the seeds from raw cotton," stated Taher Zavery, managing director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based business producing the biodiesel.<br>
<br>"We started 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 also to local farmers for watering."<br>
<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now invested in biodiesel pumps for watering as part of an effort launched by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.<br>
<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
<br>Climate change is taking a toll throughout east Africa and significantly erratic weather is ending up being commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in [lower rainfall](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US).<br>
<br>The repeating dry spells are damaging crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing [countless individuals](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) in the Horn of Africa to the edge of extreme appetite.<br>
<br>The variety of Kenyans in need of food help in March rose by almost 70 percent over a period of eight months to 1.1 million, largely due to poor rains, according to government figures.<br>
<br>With practically half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a severe lack of rain, humanitarian agencies are cautioning of increased appetite in the months ahead.<br>
<br>"Only light rains is anticipated through June ... and this is not anticipated to alleviate drought in affected locations of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems [Network](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) in its latest report.<br>
<br>"Well below-average crop production, bad animals body conditions, and increased local food rates are expected, which will decrease bad homes' access to food."<br>
<br>In Kitui's Kyuso location, the indications are already apparent.<br>
<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the extended dry spell.<br>
<br>Villagers suffer trekking longer ranges - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty jerry cans in search of water.<br>
<br>Small-scale farmers, many of whom are dependent on rain-fed farming, [discuss strategies](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) to sell their goats to make ends fulfill if the harvest is bad.<br>
<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH [BIODIESEL](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053)<br>
<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are stressed.<br>
<br>A little however growing number are shedding their concern of reliance on the weather - and purchasing watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan launched more than 3 years back.<br>
<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to buy the irrigation system - which consists of the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of [biodiesel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) - at expenses beginning from 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.<br>
<br>The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free regular monthly instalments up until the total is paid off. They buy the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the biodiesel pump permitted him to irrigate a larger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of [vegetables including](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) 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," said Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in [Ilangilo](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) village, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
<br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
<br>Other farmers point to the plan as a major benefit in helping enhance their output.<br>
<br>"The instalment scheme is excellent. Most farmers do not have the cash and can not easily get a loan to purchase a pump like this," stated Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood beside his blue [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) pump.<br>
<br>"Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are great which means we can settle the cost of the pump slowly in percentages, and have money left over to pay the school costs."<br>
<br>Zaynagro's effort is still in its early stages, with couple of [farmers](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) having actually repaid the complete cost of the pumps.<br>
<br>But such [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) plans are promising because they develop a circular economy by turning waste to for profit, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean [Energy Finance](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) at the World Resources Institute.<br>
<br>The simpleness of the design - user friendly, robust innovation, guaranteed supply of [biodiesel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - might assist electrify rural Africa, he said.<br>
<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options worldwide. The crucial issue is checking concepts and methods in a collaborative style," said Sanyal.<br>
<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area need to attempt and gain from this experiment. Banks ought to begin exploring with loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers require to support experimentation."<br>
<br>($1 = 101.3000 Kenyan shillings) (Reporting by Nita Bhalla @nitabhalla, [Editing](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) 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, residential or commercial property rights and climate modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>