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Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Eliminate Drought In Kenya

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<br>By Nita Bhalla<br>
<br>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 using a pump sustained by cotton waste.<br>
<br>"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.<br>
<br>"But it works," he stated, walking over to a close-by tree and [plucking](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually assisted me get higher yields, specifically throughout drought periods."<br>
<br>Mathoka said his profits had doubled in the 2 years he has been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre more affordable than regular diesel.<br>
<br>The [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) he is utilizing is not just great news for him - it is also great news for the world.<br>
<br>Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are derived from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.<br>
<br>That suggests that along with being cleaner and less expensive than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no additional land is required to [produce](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) it.<br>
<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) 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 scarcities.<br>
<br>"Our biodiesel comes from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the process of separating the seeds from raw cotton," said Taher Zavery, handling director of [Zaynagro Industries](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) Ltd, the Kitui-based business [producing](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) the biodiesel.<br>
<br>"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 regional farmers for irrigation."<br>
<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now [bought biodiesel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) pumps for irrigation as part of an initiative released by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.<br>
<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
<br>[Climate](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) change is taking a toll throughout east Africa and progressively unpredictable weather condition is becoming commonplace in [nations](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rains.<br>
<br>The recurring dry spells are destroying crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing millions of people in the Horn of Africa to the verge of extreme appetite.<br>
<br>The [variety](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) of Kenyans in requirement of food aid in March rose by almost 70 percent over a period of eight months to 1.1 million, mostly due to poor rains, according to government figures.<br>
<br>With practically half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a serious shortage of rain, humanitarian firms are warning of [increased appetite](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) in the months ahead.<br>
<br>"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to minimize dry spell in affected areas of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest report.<br>
<br>"Well below-average crop production, poor animals body conditions, and increased local food costs are anticipated, which will lower poor families' access to food."<br>
<br>In [Kitui's Kyuso](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) area, the indications are already apparent.<br>
<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the prolonged dry spell.<br>
<br>Villagers experience trekking longer distances - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans in search of water.<br>
<br>Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom depend on [rain-fed](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) farming, talk about plans to sell their goats to make ends fulfill if the harvest is bad.<br>
<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL<br>
<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are stressed.<br>
<br>A small however growing number are shedding their problem of reliance on the weather condition - and buying watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed through a pay-as-you-go scheme launched more than three years ago.<br>
<br>Neighbouring farmers band together to buy the watering system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at expenses beginning from 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.<br>
<br>The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free [month-to-month instalments](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) till the overall is paid off. They buy the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the [biodiesel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) pump enabled him to water a larger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of veggies including maize, tomatoes, spinach and sweet potatoes.<br>
<br>"With a diesel pump, maize yields were lower and I would get 15,000 shillings in 3 months. With the biodiesel pump, I can earn 45,000 shillings," said Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo village, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
<br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
<br>Other farmers indicate the plan as a significant advantage in helping enhance their output.<br>
<br>"The instalment plan is excellent. Most farmers don't have the cash and can not easily get a loan to buy a pump like this," said Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his [blue biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) pump.<br>
<br>"Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are great which indicates we can pay off the cost of the pump gradually in small amounts, and have money left over to pay the school fees."<br>
<br>Zaynagro's effort is still in its early stages, with couple of farmers having actually repaid the full expense of the pumps.<br>
<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) schemes are promising because they create a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) for earnings, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
<br>The simpleness of the [design -](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) user friendly, robust innovation, ensured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - could [assist amaze](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) rural Africa, he said.<br>
<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices worldwide. The crucial problem is checking concepts and approaches in a collective style," said Sanyal.<br>
<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area need to attempt and gain from this experiment. Banks should begin try out loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers require to support experimentation."<br>
<br>($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 and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>