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Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Combat Drought In Kenya

Hugh Lonergan 2025-01-12 00:23:18 +08:00
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<br>By Nita Bhalla<br>
<br>KITUI, Kenya, June 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka thought it needs to be a joke when he was [informed](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) he could water his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, easily and efficiently utilizing a pump fuelled by cotton waste.<br>
<br>"Who could believe it's possible to make a fuel much better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" laughed 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 neighboring tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has assisted me get higher yields, specifically throughout dry spell periods."<br>
<br>Mathoka said his profits had actually doubled in the two years he has actually been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre cheaper than regular diesel.<br>
<br>The biodiesel he is using is not just excellent news for him - it is likewise excellent news for the world.<br>
<br>Unlike many biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](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), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.<br>
<br>That indicates that along with being cleaner and cheaper than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no is required to produce it.<br>
<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) crops has driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pressed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - exacerbating food scarcities.<br>
<br>"Our biodiesel comes from squashing 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 Ltd, the Kitui-based company producing the biodiesel.<br>
<br>"We started 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 irrigation."<br>
<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have so far bought biodiesel pumps for watering as part of an effort released by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.<br>
<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
<br>Climate modification is taking a toll throughout east Africa and significantly unpredictable weather is becoming commonplace in [countries](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rains.<br>
<br>The repeating dry spells are destroying crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing millions of people in the Horn of Africa to the brink of extreme cravings.<br>
<br>The number of [Kenyans](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) in need of food aid in March rose by almost 70 percent over a period of eight months to 1.1 million, largely due to bad rains, according to government figures.<br>
<br>With almost half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a severe lack of rain, humanitarian agencies are [alerting](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) of increased [appetite](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) in the months ahead.<br>
<br>"Only light rainfall is anticipated through June ... and this is not anticipated to minimize dry spell in impacted areas of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its newest report.<br>
<br>"Well below-average crop production, bad animals body conditions, and increased regional food rates are expected, which will decrease poor households' access to food."<br>
<br>In Kitui's Kyuso area, the signs are already evident.<br>
<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an [outcome](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) of the extended dry spell.<br>
<br>Villagers suffer travelling longer distances - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their [donkeys loaded](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) with empty jerry cans searching for water.<br>
<br>Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom depend on rain-fed agriculture, 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](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) are stressed.<br>
<br>A small however growing number are shedding their concern of reliance on the weather - and buying irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go scheme released more than 3 years ago.<br>
<br>[Neighbouring farmers](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) band together to invest in the irrigation system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.<br>
<br>The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free regular monthly instalments until the total is paid off. They purchase the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the biodiesel pump permitted him to water a bigger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of veggies including maize, tomatoes, spinach and [sweet potatoes](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889).<br>
<br>"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," stated 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 point to the scheme as a major advantage in assisting enhance their output.<br>
<br>"The instalment plan is excellent. Most farmers don't have the cash and can not quickly get a loan to purchase a pump like this," stated Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood beside his blue biodiesel pump.<br>
<br>"Having a scheme like this helps us a lot. Our yields are good which suggests we can settle the expense of the pump slowly in percentages, and have cash left over to pay the school costs."<br>
<br>Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early phases, with few farmers having repaid the full cost of the pumps.<br>
<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) plans are [promising](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) because they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) for earnings, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
<br>The [simplicity](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) of the [design -](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) easy-to-use, robust innovation, ensured supply of [biodiesel integrated](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) with a [pay-as-you-go](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) plan - could help energize rural Africa, he said.<br>
<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices in the world. The essential concern is evaluating concepts and techniques in a collaborative fashion," stated Sanyal.<br>
<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the region ought to attempt and gain from this experiment. Banks need to begin explore loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers need to support experimentation."<br>
<br>($1 = 101.3000 Kenyan shillings) (Reporting by [Nita Bhalla](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) @nitabhalla, Editing by [Claire Cozens](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL). Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, females's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and climate modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>