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..4996ad4 --- /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, easily and effectively utilizing a pump fuelled 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, crouching down to examine 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 neighboring tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has helped me get greater yields, especially during drought periods."
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Mathoka said his revenues had doubled in the two years he has been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre cheaper than regular diesel.
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The [biodiesel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) he is using is not simply great news for him - it is likewise good news for the world.
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Unlike a lot of biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making process.
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That indicates that as well as being cleaner and more affordable than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no extra 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 communities off their land and pressed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more rewarding crops-for-fuel - worsening food scarcities.
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"Our biodiesel comes from crushing 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](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) 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 use it for our trucks, offer it to the United Nations to run some of their buses - and likewise to regional farmers for irrigation."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually so far invested in [biodiesel](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) pumps for irrigation as part of an initiative launched by Zaynagro 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 significantly unpredictable weather condition is ending up being commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rains.
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The recurring droughts are damaging crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing millions of [individuals](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) in the Horn of Africa to the brink of severe cravings.
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The variety of [Kenyans](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) 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 stated to have a serious lack of rain, humanitarian firms are alerting of [increased cravings](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) in the months ahead.
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"Only light rainfall is anticipated through June ... and this is not expected to reduce dry spell in affected areas of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its newest report.
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"Well below-average crop production, bad livestock body conditions, and increased local food prices are anticipated, which will decrease bad households' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso area, the indications are currently evident.
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Rivers, [water pans](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) and dams are drying up as an outcome of the prolonged drought.
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Villagers grumble of travelling longer distances - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans in search of water.
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Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom are reliant on rain-fed agriculture, talk about strategies to sell their goats to make ends satisfy if the harvest is bad.
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BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL
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But not all Kitui's farmers are fretted.
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A small however growing number are shedding their burden of dependence on the weather - and investing in irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a [pay-as-you-go plan](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) released more than 3 years ago.
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[Neighbouring farmers](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) unite to purchase the watering system - which consists of the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at expenses beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.
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The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free monthly instalments until the total is paid off. They buy the [biodiesel](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 [shillings](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) a litre.
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Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the [biodiesel](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) pump [allowed](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) him to water a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of veggies 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 three months. With the biodiesel pump, I can make 45,000 shillings," said 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 plan as a major advantage in helping enhance their output.
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"The instalment plan is great. Most farmers don't have the money and can not easily get a loan to purchase a pump like this," said Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood beside his blue biodiesel pump.
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"Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are good which implies we can pay off the cost of the pump gradually 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](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) having paid back the full cost of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) schemes are promising due to the fact that they develop a by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) for revenue, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The simplicity of the model - easy-to-use, robust technology, guaranteed supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go scheme - might [assist amaze](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) rural Africa, he stated.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options worldwide. The key concern is testing ideas and techniques in a collaborative style," stated Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the region ought to attempt and gain from this experiment. Financial institutions must start try out 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, females's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, residential or commercial property rights and environment [modification](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm). Visit http://news.trust.org)
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