diff --git a/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Fight-Drought-In-Kenya.md b/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Fight-Drought-In-Kenya.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..80d66ad --- /dev/null +++ b/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Fight-Drought-In-Kenya.md @@ -0,0 +1,40 @@ +
By Nita Bhalla
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KITUI, Kenya, June 6 ([Thomson Reuters](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) Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka thought it must be a joke when he was told he might irrigate his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, cleanly and effectively utilizing a pump sustained by cotton waste.
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"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" laughed Mathoka, bending down to check 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 stated, 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, specifically throughout drought durations."
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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 less expensive than regular diesel.
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The he is using is not just great news for him - it is also great news for the planet.
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Unlike most biofuels, which are [stemmed](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making process.
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That means that in addition to being cleaner and less expensive than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no extra land is required to produce it.
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From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) crops has actually driven forest [communities](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) off their land and pressed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - worsening food [scarcities](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/).
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"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, managing director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based business 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 actually up until now invested in biodiesel pumps for watering as part of an effort introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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Climate modification is taking a toll throughout east Africa and increasingly irregular weather condition is ending up being commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rains.
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The recurring dry spells are [damaging crops](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) and pastures and are starving animals - pushing millions of people in the Horn of Africa to the edge of severe hunger.
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The variety of Kenyans in requirement of food help in March surged by nearly 70 percent over a [duration](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) of eight months to 1.1 million, mainly due to bad rains, according to federal government figures.
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With almost half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a major shortage of rain, humanitarian companies are cautioning of increased appetite in the months ahead.
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"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to alleviate 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 livestock body conditions, and increased local food prices are expected, which will reduce poor homes' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso area, the indications are currently [evident](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html).
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the prolonged drought.
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Villagers experience trekking longer [distances -](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans searching for water.
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Small-scale farmers, many of whom are reliant on rain-fed agriculture, talk about strategies to offer their goats to make ends satisfy if the harvest is bad.
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BATTLING DROUGHT 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 worried.
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A small however growing number are shedding their concern of dependence on the weather condition - and [buying watering](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed [biodiesel](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) through a pay-as-you-go plan introduced more than three years ago.
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Neighbouring farmers unite to invest in the irrigation system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) - at costs beginning from 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.
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The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free regular monthly instalments up 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, said the [biodiesel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) pump permitted him to water a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of [vegetables consisting](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) of 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," said Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo village, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.
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CIRCULAR ECONOMY
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Other farmers indicate the scheme as a major benefit in helping enhance their output.
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"The instalment plan is good. Most farmers don't have the money and can not easily get a loan to buy a pump like this," stated 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 good which indicates we can pay off the expense of the pump gradually in little amounts, and have money left over to pay the school fees."
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Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early phases, with few farmers having actually paid back the full expense of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) schemes are appealing because they develop a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) for revenue, [stated Sanjoy](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The simplicity of the design - easy-to-use, robust innovation, assured supply of [biodiesel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) [combined](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) with a pay-as-you-go plan - could assist electrify rural Africa, he said.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices worldwide. The crucial concern is testing ideas and techniques in a collective style," stated Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the area should attempt and learn from this experiment. Financial organizations must start exploring with loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors need 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 and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, residential or commercial property rights and environment modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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