diff --git a/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Eliminate-Drought-In-Kenya.md b/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Eliminate-Drought-In-Kenya.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e170ca6 --- /dev/null +++ b/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Eliminate-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 might water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, cleanly and efficiently 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!" chuckled Mathoka, bending down to [inspect](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) the watermelons 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 close-by tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) water pump has actually helped me get higher yields, particularly throughout drought periods."
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Mathoka stated his earnings had doubled in the 2 years he has 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](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) he is using is not just great news for him - it is likewise great news for the world.
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Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making process.
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That indicates that in addition to being cleaner and less expensive than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no additional land is required to produce it.
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From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) crops has driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more rewarding crops-for-fuel - exacerbating food scarcities.
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"Our [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) comes from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the procedure of separating the seeds from raw cotton," stated 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, offer it to the United Nations to run some of their buses - and likewise to local farmers for watering."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have up until now purchased biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an effort released by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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Climate modification is taking a toll throughout east Africa and progressively erratic weather is ending up being commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rainfall.
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The recurring droughts are damaging crops and pastures and are [starving animals](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) - pushing millions of individuals in the Horn of Africa to the brink of severe hunger.
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The variety of [Kenyans](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) in [requirement](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) of food aid in March surged by nearly 70 percent over a [duration](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) of 8 months to 1.1 million, mainly due to bad rains, according to government figures.
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With practically half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a serious lack of rain, humanitarian agencies are alerting of increased cravings in the months ahead.
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"Only light rains is forecast through June ... and this is not expected to ease drought in impacted areas of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest report.
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"Well below-average crop production, poor livestock body conditions, and increased local food prices are expected, which will decrease poor families' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso area, the indications are already obvious.
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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 suffer travelling longer distances - sometimes more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans in search of water.
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Small-scale farmers, the [majority](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) of whom depend on rain-fed agriculture, talk about strategies to sell their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is bad.
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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 little however growing number are shedding their concern of reliance on the weather - and purchasing watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed [biodiesel](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) through a pay-as-you-go scheme launched more than three years back.
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Neighbouring farmers band together to buy the irrigation system - which consists of the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.
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The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free month-to-month instalments up until the total is settled. They buy the to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 [shillings](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) a litre.
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Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the [biodiesel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) pump allowed him to [irrigate](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) a bigger portion 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 three months. With the [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pump, I can make 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 plan as a significant benefit in assisting enhance their output.
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"The instalment plan is great. Most farmers do not have the money and can not easily get a loan to purchase a pump like this," stated Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood beside his blue [biodiesel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) pump.
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"Having a scheme like this helps us a lot. Our yields are excellent which suggests we can pay off the cost of the pump gradually in small amounts, and have money left over to pay the school charges."
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[Zaynagro's initiative](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) is still in its early stages, with couple of farmers having actually paid back the complete expense of the pumps.
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But such [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) plans are appealing due to the fact that they create a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) for revenue, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The simplicity of the design - easy-to-use, robust technology, guaranteed supply of [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) integrated with a pay-as-you-go scheme - could assist amaze rural Africa, he stated.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options worldwide. The crucial concern is checking concepts and techniques in a collective fashion," stated Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the region ought to try and discover from this experiment. Banks should begin experimenting with loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors 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, ladies's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, residential or commercial property rights and environment modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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