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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 must be a joke when he was told he could irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and efficiently using a pump fuelled 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 examine the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri village in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.<br>
<br>"But it works," he stated, strolling over to a nearby tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has assisted me get greater yields, particularly throughout dry spell durations."<br>
<br>[Mathoka](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) said his [incomes](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) had actually doubled in the 2 years he has actually been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre less expensive than routine diesel.<br>
<br>The biodiesel he is using is not just [excellent news](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) for him - it is also great news for the world.<br>
<br>Unlike most biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.<br>
<br>That suggests that along with being cleaner and more affordable than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no additional land is required to produce it.<br>
<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) crops has actually driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - intensifying food shortages.<br>
<br>"Our [biodiesel](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) comes from squashing 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 business producing the biodiesel.<br>
<br>"We began producing and utilizing it to power our cotton ginning factory in 2011. With increased production, we now utilize it for our trucks, sell it to the United Nations to run some of their buses - and likewise to local farmers for irrigation."<br>
<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have so far invested in [biodiesel pumps](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) for watering as part of an initiative introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.<br>
<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
<br>Climate change is taking a toll across [east Africa](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) and significantly erratic weather condition is ending up being commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rains.<br>
<br>The [repeating droughts](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) are destroying crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing millions of individuals in the Horn of Africa to the verge of severe cravings.<br>
<br>The variety of Kenyans in requirement of food aid in March rose by nearly 70 percent over a period of 8 months to 1.1 million, mainly due to poor rains, according to federal government figures.<br>
<br>With practically half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a major lack of rain, humanitarian firms are warning of increased appetite in the months ahead.<br>
<br>"Only light rains is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to ease dry spell in affected locations of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its most current report.<br>
<br>"Well below-average crop production, poor animals body conditions, and increased local food costs are prepared for, which will lower poor households' access to food."<br>
<br>In Kitui's Kyuso location, the signs are currently obvious.<br>
<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the extended dry spell.<br>
<br>Villagers grumble of travelling longer distances - in some cases 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 farming, [discuss strategies](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) to sell their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is poor.<br>
<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH [BIODIESEL](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd)<br>
<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are fretted.<br>
<br>A little however growing number are shedding their burden of dependence on the weather - and investing in irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed [biodiesel](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) through a pay-as-you-go scheme released more than 3 years back.<br>
<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to invest in the irrigation system - that includes the [biodiesel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.<br>
<br>The farmers make a preliminary payment, then [pay interest-free](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) [monthly instalments](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) up until the overall is paid off. They buy the [biodiesel](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the biodiesel pump enabled him to water a larger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of vegetables 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 make 45,000 shillings," stated Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo village, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
<br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
<br>Other farmers indicate the scheme as a major benefit in assisting improve their output.<br>
<br>"The instalment plan is good. Most farmers don't have the cash and can not easily get a loan to buy a pump like this," stated Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his blue biodiesel pump.<br>
<br>"Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are excellent which means we can pay off the cost of the pump slowly in small quantities, and have cash left over to pay the school costs."<br>
<br>Zaynagro's effort is still in its early stages, with couple of farmers having paid back the full expense of the pumps.<br>
<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) plans are promising because they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) for earnings, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
<br>The of the design - user friendly, robust innovation, assured supply of [biodiesel](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) integrated with a pay-as-you-go scheme - might help energize rural Africa, he stated.<br>
<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives in the world. The key concern is testing ideas and approaches in a collaborative style," said Sanyal.<br>
<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area ought to try and gain from this experiment. Banks must 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 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](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) or commercial property rights and [environment](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>