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..1698322 --- /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 Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka believed it needs to be a joke when he was informed he could irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and effectively 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!" laughed Mathoka, bending down to examine 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, strolling over to a close-by tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this [biodiesel](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) water pump has assisted me get greater yields, particularly during dry spell periods."
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[Mathoka stated](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) his profits had actually doubled in the two years he has actually been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre cheaper than routine diesel.
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The biodiesel he is utilizing is not simply great news for him - it is likewise excellent news for the world.
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Unlike many biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](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 by-product of the cotton-making procedure.
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That indicates that along with being cleaner and less expensive than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no additional land is required to produce it.
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From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) crops has actually driven forest communities off their land and pressed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more [rewarding crops-for-fuel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) - worsening food lacks.
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"Our biodiesel comes 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 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 use it for our trucks, sell it to the United Nations to run a few of their buses - and also to local farmers for watering."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have up until now invested in 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 across east Africa and increasingly unpredictable weather condition is becoming commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in [lower rainfall](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/).
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The repeating droughts are damaging crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing millions of people in the Horn of Africa to the brink of extreme cravings.
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The number of [Kenyans](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) in requirement of food aid in March rose by nearly 70 percent over a duration of eight months to 1.1 million, largely due to poor rains, according to federal government figures.
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With practically half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a major shortage of rain, humanitarian companies are [alerting](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) of [increased appetite](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) in the months ahead.
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"Only light rainfall is anticipated through June ... and this is not anticipated to relieve dry spell in affected locations of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its most current report.
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"Well below-average crop production, poor livestock body conditions, and increased regional food prices are prepared for, which will minimize bad households' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso location, the indications are already obvious.
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the extended drought.
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Villagers experience trekking longer ranges - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty jerry cans searching for water.
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[Small-scale](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) farmers, most of whom depend on rain-fed agriculture, discuss plans to offer their goats to make ends fulfill if the harvest is poor.
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BATTLING DROUGHT WITH [BIODIESEL](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd)
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But not all Kitui's farmers are stressed.
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A small but growing number are shedding their concern of [dependence](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) on the weather condition - and purchasing irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan launched more than 3 years ago.
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[Neighbouring farmers](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) band together to invest in the irrigation system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) - at costs beginning from 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.
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The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free regular monthly instalments until the total 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, stated the [biodiesel](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) pump permitted him to water a larger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of vegetables 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 3 months. With the biodiesel pump, I can earn 45,000 shillings," said 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 indicate the scheme as a significant advantage in assisting improve their output.
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"The instalment plan is good. Most farmers do not have the cash and can not quickly get a loan to buy a pump like this," stated Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his blue [biodiesel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) pump.
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"Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are great which implies we can settle the cost of the pump gradually in percentages, and have cash left over to pay the school charges."
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Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early stages, with few farmers having actually repaid the complete expense of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) plans are promising due to the fact that they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) for profit, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The simpleness of the design - easy-to-use, robust technology, assured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - might assist energize rural Africa, he stated.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options in the world. The essential concern is checking ideas and methods in a collaborative fashion," stated Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the region should attempt and learn from this experiment. Financial organizations need to begin try out loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors need to support experimentation."
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($1 = 101.3000 Kenyan shillings) ([Reporting](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) by Nita Bhalla @nitabhalla, [Editing](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that [covers humanitarian](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and environment change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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