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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 thought it must be a joke when he was informed he might irrigate his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, easily and effectively utilizing 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 check 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 stated, strolling over to a neighboring tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually helped me get greater yields, especially during dry spell periods."<br>
<br>Mathoka stated his earnings had doubled in the 2 years he has actually been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre less expensive than regular diesel.<br>
<br>The [biodiesel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) he is utilizing is not just good news for him - it is also good news for the world.<br>
<br>Unlike many biofuels, which are [stemmed](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) 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 indicates that as well as being cleaner and cheaper than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no [extra land](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) is required to produce it.<br>
<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) crops has driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pushed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more lucrative crops-for-fuel - intensifying food shortages.<br>
<br>"Our biodiesel originates from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the process of separating the seeds from raw cotton," said Taher Zavery, managing director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based business producing the [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).<br>
<br>"We started producing and utilizing 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 some of their buses - and likewise to local farmers for irrigation."<br>
<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have up until now purchased biodiesel pumps for watering as part of an initiative launched by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.<br>
<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
<br>Climate [modification](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) is taking a toll across east Africa and significantly irregular weather condition is ending up being commonplace in nations 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](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) millions of people in the Horn of Africa to the brink of extreme hunger.<br>
<br>The number of Kenyans in need of food aid in March rose by almost 70 percent over a duration of 8 months to 1.1 million, mainly due to poor rains, according to government figures.<br>
<br>With practically half Kenya's 47 [counties stated](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) to have a serious lack of rain, humanitarian agencies are cautioning of increased hunger in the months ahead.<br>
<br>"Only light rainfall is anticipated through June ... and this is not expected to reduce dry spell in impacted locations of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest report.<br>
<br>"Well below-average crop production, bad livestock body conditions, and increased regional food rates are anticipated, which will minimize poor homes' access to food."<br>
<br>In Kitui's Kyuso location, the indications are already apparent.<br>
<br>Rivers, [water pans](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) and dams are drying up as a result of the prolonged dry spell.<br>
<br>Villagers suffer trekking longer distances - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty jerry cans searching for water.<br>
<br>Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom depend on rain-fed agriculture, talk about plans to offer their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is poor.<br>
<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH [BIODIESEL](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price)<br>
<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are fretted.<br>
<br>A small but growing number are [shedding](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) their burden of dependence on the weather condition - and investing in watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan launched more than 3 years ago.<br>
<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to purchase the irrigation system - which consists of the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at expenses beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.<br>
<br>The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free monthly [instalments](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) till the total is paid off. They buy the [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 a litre.<br>
<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the biodiesel pump enabled him to [irrigate](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of veggies consisting of 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 town, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
<br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
<br>Other farmers point to the plan as a major advantage in assisting [enhance](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) their output.<br>
<br>"The instalment scheme is good. 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 beside his blue [biodiesel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) pump.<br>
<br>"Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are excellent which suggests we can settle the cost of the pump gradually in percentages, and have money left over to pay the school fees."<br>
<br>Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early phases, with couple of farmers having actually repaid the complete expense of the pumps.<br>
<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) plans are appealing due to the fact that they develop a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) for profit, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
<br>The simplicity of the model - user friendly, robust technology, ensured supply of [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - might help amaze rural Africa, he stated.<br>
<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices on the planet. The key issue is checking ideas and methods in a collaborative style," stated Sanyal.<br>
<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area need to try and gain from this experiment. Banks need to start explore loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers need 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](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, females's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and environment modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>