commit cc42545d042ebc3ad094288bc22161e0816282b4 Author: shauntechristo Date: Sun Jan 12 11:30:14 2025 +0800 Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Combat Drought In Kenya diff --git a/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Combat-Drought-In-Kenya.md b/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Combat-Drought-In-Kenya.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f0ebc1e --- /dev/null +++ b/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Combat-Drought-In-Kenya.md @@ -0,0 +1,40 @@ +
By Nita Bhalla
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KITUI, Kenya, June 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka believed it should be a joke when he was told he might water his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, cleanly and [effectively](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) using a [pump sustained](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) 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!" laughed Mathoka, crouching down to inspect the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri village in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.
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"But it works," he said, walking over to a neighboring tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually helped me get greater yields, particularly during drought durations."
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[Mathoka](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) said his profits had actually 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 routine diesel.
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The [biodiesel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) he is utilizing is not just great news for him - it is likewise great 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.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making procedure.
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That suggests that as well as being cleaner and more affordable than regular 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://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) crops has driven forest communities off their land and pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - intensifying food lacks.
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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," said Taher Zavery, handling director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based business producing the biodiesel.
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"We began 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 irrigation."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now invested in biodiesel pumps for irrigation 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 significantly erratic weather condition is ending up being commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rainfall.
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The repeating dry spells are damaging crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing countless individuals in the Horn of Africa to the verge of extreme hunger.
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The number of Kenyans in requirement of food aid in March rose by almost 70 percent over a duration of 8 months to 1.1 million, mostly due to poor rains, according to government figures.
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With practically half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a serious shortage of rain, humanitarian agencies are alerting of increased appetite in the months ahead.
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"Only light rains is forecast through June ... and this is not expected to reduce dry spell in impacted areas of Kenya and Somalia," stated 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 regional food costs are prepared for, which will minimize bad homes' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso area, the indications are already obvious.
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Rivers, [water pans](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) and dams are drying up as an outcome of the extended dry spell.
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Villagers experience travelling longer distances - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty jerry cans searching for water.
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Small-scale farmers, many of whom depend on rain-fed agriculture, discuss plans to offer their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is bad.
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BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL
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But not all [Kitui's farmers](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) are fretted.
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A little however growing number are shedding their problem of [reliance](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) on the weather condition - and buying irrigation systems powered by [Zaynagro's cotton](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan introduced more than 3 years earlier.
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Neighbouring farmers band together to invest in the irrigation system - which includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of [biodiesel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) - at expenses beginning from 32,000 shillings, [depending](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) on the size of the pump.
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The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free monthly instalments until the overall is settled. They purchase the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 a litre.
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[Farmer Alex](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) Babu Kitheka, 39, said the biodiesel pump permitted him to water a larger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range 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 3 months. With the [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) 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 significant advantage in helping improve their output.
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"The instalment plan is excellent. Most farmers do not have the money and can not quickly get a loan to purchase 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 great which means we can pay off the cost of the pump gradually in percentages, and have money left over to pay the school fees."
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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.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) schemes are promising because they create a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) for earnings, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The [simplicity](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) of the design - user friendly, robust innovation, ensured supply of [biodiesel integrated](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) with a pay-as-you-go scheme - might [assist amaze](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) rural Africa, he said.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives on the planet. The essential problem is testing ideas and approaches in a collective style," said Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the region need to try and find out from this experiment. Banks should begin experimenting 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](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile). Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of [Thomson](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and environment change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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