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..0866666 --- /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 must 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 much better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" chuckled Mathoka, crouching down to check 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 stated, walking over to a close-by tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has assisted me get higher yields, especially during dry spell periods."
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Mathoka said his [profits](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) had [doubled](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) in the 2 years he has actually been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre less expensive than routine diesel.
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The [biodiesel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) he is utilizing is not simply good news for him - it is likewise good news for the world.
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Unlike most biofuels, which are [stemmed](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making process.
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That indicates that as well as being cleaner and less expensive than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no extra land is required to produce it.
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From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) crops has driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more lucrative crops-for-fuel - worsening food lacks.
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"Our [biodiesel](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) originates from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the procedure of separating the seeds from raw cotton," said Taher Zavery, managing director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based business producing the biodiesel.
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"We started producing and using 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 actually so far purchased biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an initiative launched by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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Climate change is taking a toll across east Africa and increasingly irregular weather is ending up being commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rains.
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The repeating droughts are destroying crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing millions of people in the Horn of Africa to the verge of extreme appetite.
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The number of Kenyans in need of food aid in March surged by [practically](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) 70 percent over a period of 8 months to 1.1 million, mostly due to bad rains, according to government figures.
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With almost half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a major shortage of rain, [humanitarian](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) agencies are alerting of [increased hunger](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) in the months ahead.
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"Only light rains is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to minimize drought in impacted areas 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, bad livestock body conditions, and increased regional food prices are prepared for, which will decrease bad homes' access to food."
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In [Kitui's Kyuso](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) location, the signs are already apparent.
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the extended dry spell.
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Villagers grumble of trekking longer ranges - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty jerry cans looking for water.
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Small-scale farmers, many of whom depend on rain-fed farming, talk about strategies to sell their goats to make ends fulfill if the harvest is poor.
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BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL
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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 on the weather - and investing in watering systems powered by [Zaynagro's](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go scheme introduced more than 3 years back.
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Neighbouring farmers band together to buy the watering system - that includes the [biodiesel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at expenses beginning from 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.
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The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free regular monthly instalments up until the overall is paid off. They the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.
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[Farmer Alex](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the biodiesel pump allowed him to irrigate a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of veggies including maize, tomatoes, spinach and [sweet potatoes](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy).
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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," stated 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](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) point to the scheme as a significant advantage in helping improve their output.
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"The instalment plan is great. Most farmers don't 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 pump.
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"Having a scheme like this assists us a lot. Our yields are excellent which means we can pay off the cost of the pump gradually in percentages, and have money left over to pay the school costs."
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Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early stages, with couple of farmers having actually paid back the full expense of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) schemes are promising since they create a [circular economy](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) for profit, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The [simpleness](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) of the design - easy-to-use, robust innovation, guaranteed supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - might help energize rural Africa, he stated.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives worldwide. The crucial problem is testing concepts and methods in a collective style," stated Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the area need to try and gain from this experiment. Financial institutions must start try out loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers need to support experimentation."
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($1 = 101.3000 Kenyan shillings) (Reporting by Nita Bhalla @nitabhalla, Editing by [Claire Cozens](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86). 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 environment change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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