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..85badd4 --- /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 told he could water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, cleanly and effectively using 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 examine the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri village in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.
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"But it works," he said, walking over to a nearby tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually assisted me get greater yields, particularly throughout dry spell periods."
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Mathoka stated his revenues had actually doubled in the 2 years he has actually been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre more affordable than regular diesel.
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The [biodiesel](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) he is using is not simply excellent news for him - it is also good news for the planet.
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Unlike many biofuels, which are obtained from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making process.
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That indicates that along with being cleaner and less expensive than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels due to the fact that no additional 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 actually driven forest neighborhoods off their land and [pushed farmers](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) to switch from crops-for-food to more [successful crops-for-fuel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) - worsening food lacks.
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"Our biodiesel originates 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 utilizing it to power our cotton ginning factory in 2011. With increased production, we now use it for our trucks, sell 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 watering as part of an initiative 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 significantly unpredictable weather is becoming commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.
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The recurring droughts are damaging crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing countless individuals in the Horn of Africa to the edge of extreme hunger.
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The variety of Kenyans in requirement of food help in March rose by practically 70 percent over a duration of eight months to 1.1 million, mostly due to bad rains, according to federal government figures.
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With nearly half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a severe lack of rain, humanitarian companies are [alerting](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) of [increased cravings](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) in the months ahead.
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"Only light rains is anticipated through June ... and this is not anticipated to minimize dry spell in affected areas of Kenya and Somalia," said 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 rates are anticipated, which will minimize bad 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 a result of the prolonged dry spell.
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Villagers complain of trekking longer distances - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty looking for water.
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[Small-scale](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) farmers, many of whom depend on rain-fed farming, [discuss strategies](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) to sell their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is bad.
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BATTLING DROUGHT WITH [BIODIESEL](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889)
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But not all Kitui's farmers are stressed.
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A little however growing number are shedding their burden of reliance on the weather condition - and purchasing irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed [biodiesel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) through a pay-as-you-go plan launched more than three years earlier.
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Neighbouring farmers band together to purchase the irrigation system - that includes the [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs starting from 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.
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The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free regular monthly instalments until the overall is settled. They purchase the [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.
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Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the biodiesel pump allowed him to irrigate a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of vegetables 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](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) pump, I can earn 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 point to the scheme as a major benefit in [helping](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) improve their output.
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"The instalment plan is excellent. 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 next to his blue [biodiesel](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) pump.
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"Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are great which indicates we can settle the expense of the pump gradually in percentages, and have money left over to pay the school fees."
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Zaynagro's effort is still in its early stages, with couple of farmers having actually repaid the full expense of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) schemes are promising since they produce a [circular economy](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) for profit, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The simpleness of the design - easy-to-use, robust technology, ensured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - might assist energize rural Africa, he stated.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives on the planet. The crucial concern is checking ideas 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. Financial institutions ought to start try out loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers require 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, [women's](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and environment modification. Visit http://[news.trust](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/).org)
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