From d815c6f33fd08e0813d39d2c6be71efc42d6f443 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Georgia Rochon Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2025 20:03:28 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Eliminate Drought In Kenya --- ...s-Farmers-to-Eliminate-Drought-In-Kenya.md | 40 +++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 40 insertions(+) create mode 100644 Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Eliminate-Drought-In-Kenya.md 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..87c923f --- /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 needs to be a joke when he was informed he could irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and effectively using a pump fuelled 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 the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri village in [Kenya's southeast](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) Kitui county.
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"But it works," he said, strolling over to a neighboring tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has helped me get greater yields, especially during dry spell durations."
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Mathoka stated his incomes had actually doubled in the 2 years he has actually been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre more affordable than regular diesel.
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The biodiesel he is using is not simply great news for him - it is likewise great news for the world.
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Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are derived from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, [rapeseed](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) and [jatropha curcas](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making process.
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That suggests that along with being cleaner and cheaper than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no extra land is needed 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 driven forest communities off their land and pressed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more lucrative crops-for-fuel - worsening food [shortages](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL).
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"Our [biodiesel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) comes from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the procedure of separating the seeds from raw cotton," said Taher Zavery, managing 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, sell it to the United Nations to run a few of their buses - and likewise to regional farmers for irrigation."
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More than 1,200 [farmers](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) in Kitui have actually so far bought biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an initiative launched by Zaynagro in 2015, .
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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Climate modification is taking a toll throughout east Africa and progressively irregular weather is becoming commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.
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The recurring dry spells are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing countless individuals in the Horn of Africa to the brink of severe hunger.
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The number of [Kenyans](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) in need of food help in March rose by almost 70 percent over a period of eight months to 1.1 million, mostly due to poor rains, according to federal government figures.
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With practically half Kenya's 47 [counties stated](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) to have a severe scarcity of rain, humanitarian companies are warning of increased cravings in the months ahead.
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"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to reduce drought in affected areas of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its most current report.
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"Well below-average crop production, bad animals body conditions, and increased regional food rates are anticipated, which will reduce bad homes' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso location, the indications are currently [apparent](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86).
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the prolonged drought.
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Villagers experience travelling longer distances - sometimes more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty jerry cans [searching](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) for water.
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Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom are dependent on rain-fed farming, talk about plans to offer their goats to make ends satisfy if the harvest is bad.
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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 stressed.
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A little but growing number are shedding their concern of dependence on the weather - and buying watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed [biodiesel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) through a pay-as-you-go plan released more than three years ago.
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Neighbouring farmers unite to buy the watering system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at expenses starting from 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.
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The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free monthly instalments up until the total is paid off. They buy the [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.
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Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pump permitted him to water a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of veggies including 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 3 months. With the biodiesel pump, I can make 45,000 shillings," said Alex Babu 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 point to the scheme as a [major benefit](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) in helping enhance their output.
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"The instalment plan is good. 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 pump.
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"Having a scheme like this assists us a lot. Our yields are great which means we can pay off the expense of the pump slowly in little amounts, and have money left over to pay the school fees."
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Zaynagro's effort is still in its early phases, with couple of farmers having paid back the complete cost of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) schemes are promising because they develop a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) for profit, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World [Resources](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) Institute.
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The simplicity of the [design -](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) easy-to-use, robust innovation, assured supply of [biodiesel combined](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) with a pay-as-you-go plan - could help amaze rural Africa, he stated.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives in the world. The crucial concern is checking concepts and approaches in a collective style," stated Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the region ought to try and discover from this experiment. Banks ought to start 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, ladies's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, residential or commercial property rights and climate modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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