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..1bf7a16 --- /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](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka thought it should be a joke when he was informed he could irrigate his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, easily and efficiently 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, bending down to examine 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 said, strolling over to a nearby tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has helped me get greater yields, specifically throughout dry spell durations."
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Mathoka said his revenues had doubled in the two years he has 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 he is using is not just great news for him - it is also good news for the world.
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Unlike most biofuels, which are stemmed from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.
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That means that as well as being cleaner and more affordable than [regular](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no extra land is required to produce it.
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From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) crops has actually driven forest communities off their land and pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - exacerbating food shortages.
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"Our biodiesel originates from crushing 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 company producing the biodiesel.
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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, offer it to the United Nations to run a few of their buses - and likewise to local farmers for irrigation."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now invested in 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 across east Africa and increasingly unpredictable 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 droughts are damaging crops and [pastures](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) and are starving animals - pushing countless individuals in the Horn of Africa to the edge of extreme appetite.
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The [variety](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) of Kenyans in need of food aid in March surged by nearly 70 percent over a duration of 8 months to 1.1 million, mainly due to poor rains, according to [government figures](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/).
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With nearly half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a major shortage of rain, humanitarian companies are alerting of [increased hunger](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) in the months ahead.
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"Only light rainfall is anticipated through June ... and this is not expected to relieve dry spell in affected locations of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early [Warning Systems](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) in its newest report.
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"Well below-average crop production, bad livestock body conditions, and increased local food prices are anticipated, which will decrease poor households' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso location, the indications are currently evident.
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the [extended dry](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) spell.
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Villagers grumble of trekking longer ranges - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans looking for water.
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Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom are reliant on rain-fed farming, discuss strategies to offer their goats to make ends satisfy if the harvest is bad.
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BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL
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But not all Kitui's farmers are fretted.
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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 through a pay-as-you-go scheme introduced more than three years back.
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Neighbouring farmers unite to buy the [irrigation](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) system - that includes the [biodiesel](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning from 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 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.
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Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the biodiesel pump allowed him to irrigate a larger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of veggies consisting of maize, tomatoes, spinach and [sweet potatoes](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889).
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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 earn 45,000 shillings," said [Alex Babu](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo village, 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) indicate the scheme as a significant advantage in assisting improve their output.
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"The instalment scheme is excellent. Most farmers do not have the cash 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 pump.
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"Having a plan like this helps us a lot. Our yields are excellent which implies we can settle the expense of the pump slowly in small amounts, and have cash left over to pay the school charges."
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Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early stages, with few farmers having paid back the complete cost of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) plans are promising because they create a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) for profit, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The simpleness of the model - easy-to-use, robust technology, guaranteed supply of biodiesel integrated with a [pay-as-you-go](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) plan - could assist energize rural Africa, he stated.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options on the planet. The key issue is checking ideas and approaches in a collective style," said Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the area need to attempt and gain from this experiment. Financial organizations need to start try out 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](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, [women's](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and climate modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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