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..892a377 --- /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](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) Abel Mutie believed it must be a joke when he was told he might irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, cleanly and efficiently using a pump fuelled 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, crouching down to inspect 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, walking over to a close-by tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually assisted me get greater yields, particularly during dry spell durations."
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Mathoka stated his profits had doubled in the 2 years he has actually been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre less expensive than regular diesel.
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The biodiesel he is utilizing is not just good news for him - it is also great news for the world.
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Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are stemmed from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making process.
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That indicates that along with being cleaner and more affordable than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because 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 communities off their land and pressed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more profitable crops-for-fuel - [intensifying food](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) [scarcities](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html).
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"Our [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) originates from squashing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the procedure of separating the seeds from raw cotton," said Taher Zavery, handling director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based company producing the biodiesel.
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"We started 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 watering."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have up until now purchased [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pumps for watering as part of an initiative released by [Zaynagro](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) in 2015, said Zavery.
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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Climate change is taking a toll throughout east Africa and [increasingly](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) irregular weather condition is ending up being commonplace in nations 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 - pushing [countless](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) people in the Horn of Africa to the brink of extreme appetite.
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The number of Kenyans in requirement of food help in March rose by almost 70 percent over a duration of 8 months to 1.1 million, mainly due to poor rains, according to federal government figures.
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With nearly half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a major scarcity of rain, humanitarian agencies are warning of increased appetite in the months ahead.
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"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not expected to minimize dry spell in impacted locations of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its newest report.
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"Well below-average crop production, poor animals body conditions, and increased local food prices are prepared for, which will minimize poor families' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso area, the signs are currently obvious.
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the extended drought.
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Villagers experience travelling longer ranges - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans searching for water.
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Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom depend on rain-fed farming, go over strategies to sell their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is bad.
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[BATTLING DROUGHT](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) 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 fretted.
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A little but [growing](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) number are shedding their concern of dependence on the weather condition - and purchasing irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go scheme [released](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) more than three years earlier.
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Neighbouring farmers band together to invest in the watering system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines 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 an initial payment, then pay interest-free month-to-month instalments until the overall is paid off. They buy the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.
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Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the biodiesel pump permitted him to water a bigger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety 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 pump, I can make 45,000 shillings," stated 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://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) [improve](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) their output.
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"The instalment plan is excellent. Most farmers don't have the cash and can not easily get a loan to purchase a pump like this," said [Maurice Kitheka](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his blue biodiesel pump.
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"Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are excellent which suggests we can pay off the expense of the pump slowly in percentages, and have cash left over to pay the school charges."
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Zaynagro's effort is still in its early stages, with couple of farmers having actually paid back the complete cost of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) plans are promising since they create a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) for revenue, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The [simpleness](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) of the [design -](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) user friendly, robust innovation, ensured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go scheme - could assist energize rural Africa, he stated.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices worldwide. The essential issue is evaluating ideas and techniques in a collaborative style," stated Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the area must try and gain from this experiment. Financial institutions must begin exploring with 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, ladies's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and environment modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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