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..6df6c42 --- /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 thought it should be a joke when he was informed he might irrigate his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, easily and effectively utilizing a pump sustained by cotton waste.
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"Who could believe it's possible to make a fuel better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" chuckled Mathoka, bending down to check the [watermelons](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri town in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.
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"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 higher yields, specifically during drought periods."
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Mathoka stated his earnings had actually doubled in the two years he has actually been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre cheaper than regular diesel.
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The biodiesel he is using is not just excellent news for him - it is also excellent news for the planet.
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Unlike many biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.
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That suggests that in addition to being cleaner and more affordable than routine fuel, it is more [sustainable](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) than other biofuels because no additional land is needed to produce it.
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From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](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) crops has actually driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pushed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more lucrative crops-for-fuel - exacerbating food lacks.
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"Our [biodiesel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) 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.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price).
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"We began producing and using 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 a few of their buses - and likewise to local farmers for watering."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have so far purchased [biodiesel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) pumps for watering as part of an initiative launched by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.
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[DRY RIVER](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) BEDS
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Climate change is taking a toll throughout [east Africa](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) and significantly irregular weather is ending up being commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.
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The recurring dry spells are destroying crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing countless individuals in the Horn of Africa to the edge of extreme appetite.
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The number of Kenyans in need of food aid in March surged by nearly 70 percent over a period of eight months to 1.1 million, largely due to poor rains, according to federal government figures.
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With almost half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a severe lack of rain, humanitarian firms are alerting of increased hunger in the months ahead.
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"Only light rains is forecast through June ... and this is not expected to reduce dry spell in affected locations of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its newest report.
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"Well below-average crop production, bad livestock body conditions, and increased regional food prices are prepared for, which will lower bad households' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso area, the indications are currently evident.
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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 distances - sometimes more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty jerry cans in search of water.
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Small-scale farmers, most of whom are dependent on rain-fed farming, talk about plans to offer their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is poor.
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BATTLING DROUGHT WITH [BIODIESEL](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053)
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But not all Kitui's farmers are worried.
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A small but growing number are shedding their concern of reliance on the weather condition - and purchasing irrigation [systems](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) powered by seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go scheme released more than three years earlier.
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Neighbouring farmers unite to purchase the watering system - which includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of [pipelines](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.
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The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free month-to-month instalments till the overall is paid off. They purchase the biodiesel to run the pumps from [Zaynagro](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) at 80 shillings a litre.
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Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the biodiesel pump permitted him to irrigate a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of [veggies consisting](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) 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 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 indicate the plan as a significant advantage in assisting enhance their output.
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"The instalment plan is great. Most farmers do not have the money 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 pump.
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"Having a scheme like this helps us a lot. Our yields are great which means we can settle the cost of the pump gradually in percentages, and have money left over to pay the school charges."
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Zaynagro's effort is still in its early phases, with couple of [farmers](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) having paid back the complete expense of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) plans are [promising](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) because they create a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](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) for revenue, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The [simplicity](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) of the model - easy-to-use, robust technology, assured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go [scheme -](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) might help [electrify rural](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) Africa, he stated.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives in the world. The essential problem is testing concepts and approaches in a collaborative fashion," said Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the region must attempt and gain from this experiment. Banks ought to begin explore 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. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, females's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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