From d1f2cdca306839bdcbabf404d5e7073b455acfd3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Adrianne Robeson Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2025 04:54:02 +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..22cef97 --- /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](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) Foundation) [- Kenyan](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka thought it needs to be a joke when he was told he might irrigate his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, easily and efficiently using a pump fuelled by cotton waste.
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"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel much better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" chuckled Mathoka, [crouching](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) 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, strolling over to a nearby tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has assisted me get higher yields, specifically throughout dry spell periods."
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Mathoka said his incomes had doubled in the 2 years he has been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre cheaper than routine diesel.
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The biodiesel he is utilizing is not just good news for him - it is also excellent news for the world.
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Unlike many biofuels, which are obtained from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889), it is made from a by-product of the [cotton-making procedure](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html).
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That indicates that along with being cleaner and cheaper than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no additional land is needed to produce it.
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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 switch from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - intensifying food scarcities.
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"Our biodiesel comes from squashing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the process of separating the seeds from raw cotton," stated Taher Zavery, managing director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based business producing the biodiesel.
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"We started producing and utilizing it to power our cotton ginning factory in 2011. With increased production, we now use it for our trucks, offer it to the United Nations to run a few of their buses - and likewise to local farmers for watering."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually so far purchased biodiesel pumps for [watering](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) as part of an initiative launched 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 increasingly unpredictable weather is ending up being commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.
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The repeating dry spells are damaging crops and pastures and are starving animals - [pushing millions](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) of people in the Horn of Africa to the edge of extreme cravings.
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The number of Kenyans in need of food aid in March rose by almost 70 percent over a duration of eight months to 1.1 million, mainly due to bad rains, according to federal government figures.
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With practically half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a serious scarcity of rain, humanitarian companies are warning of increased appetite in the months ahead.
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"Only light rains is anticipated through June ... and this is not expected to relieve drought in impacted locations of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest report.
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"Well below-average crop production, poor livestock body conditions, and increased local food rates are expected, which will reduce bad households' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso location, the indications are currently apparent.
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the extended drought.
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Villagers suffer travelling longer distances - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty jerry cans in search of water.
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Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom depend on [rain-fed](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) farming, talk about plans to offer their goats to make ends satisfy if the [harvest](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) is poor.
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BATTLING DROUGHT WITH [BIODIESEL](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/)
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But not all Kitui's farmers are [stressed](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html).
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A little but growing number are shedding their problem of reliance on the weather condition - and purchasing watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed [biodiesel](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) through a pay-as-you-go plan more than 3 years ago.
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Neighbouring farmers band together to invest in the watering system - which consists of the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at expenses beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending upon 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](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.
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Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the biodiesel pump permitted him to water a bigger part of his [one-acre](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) plot, where he grows a range of vegetables including maize, tomatoes, spinach and [sweet potatoes](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm).
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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 earn 45,000 shillings," stated Alex Babu Kitheka, [standing](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) 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 indicate the plan as a significant benefit in helping enhance their output.
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"The instalment scheme is good. Most farmers do not 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 pump.
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"Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are great which implies we can pay off the cost of the pump gradually in percentages, and have cash 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 actually repaid the full expense of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) plans are promising since they develop a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) for revenue, 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 innovation, guaranteed supply of biodiesel combined 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 choices in the world. The essential concern is checking concepts and techniques in a collaborative style," said Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the area ought to try and gain from this experiment. Financial institutions ought to begin 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](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, [women's](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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