Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Combat Drought In Kenya
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<br>By Nita Bhalla<br>
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<br>KITUI, Kenya, June 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka believed it needs to be a joke when he was informed he might irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and efficiently utilizing a pump fuelled by cotton waste.<br>
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<br>"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel much better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" chuckled Mathoka, bending down to examine the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri town in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.<br>
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<br>"But it works," he said, walking over to a close-by tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has assisted me get greater yields, particularly during drought durations."<br>
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<br>Mathoka stated his incomes had doubled in the two years he has actually been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre more affordable than regular diesel.<br>
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<br>The biodiesel he is utilizing is not just great news for him - it is likewise good news for the planet.<br>
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<br>Unlike a lot of biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](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), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.<br>
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<br>That suggests that along with being cleaner and more affordable than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other [biofuels](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) since no is needed to produce it.<br>
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<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) crops has actually driven forest communities off their land and pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more lucrative crops-for-fuel - worsening food shortages.<br>
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<br>"Our biodiesel comes 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 business producing the biodiesel.<br>
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<br>"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 some of their buses - and also to local farmers for irrigation."<br>
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<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now bought [biodiesel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) pumps for irrigation as part of an initiative introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.<br>
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<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
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<br>[Climate](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) change is taking a toll across east Africa and increasingly irregular weather is ending up being commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rains.<br>
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<br>The recurring droughts are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals [- pushing](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) millions of [individuals](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) in the Horn of Africa to the brink of extreme hunger.<br>
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<br>The number of Kenyans in requirement of food aid in March rose by practically 70 percent over a period of 8 months to 1.1 million, mostly due to bad rains, according to government figures.<br>
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<br>With almost half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a serious lack of rain, humanitarian companies are cautioning of increased cravings in the months ahead.<br>
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<br>"Only light rainfall is anticipated through June ... and this is not anticipated to ease dry spell in impacted areas of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its newest report.<br>
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<br>"Well below-average crop production, bad animals body conditions, and increased local food rates are anticipated, which will lower bad households' access to food."<br>
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<br>In Kitui's Kyuso area, the signs are already obvious.<br>
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<br>Rivers, [water pans](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) and dams are drying up as a result of the [extended dry](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) spell.<br>
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<br>Villagers experience trekking longer distances - sometimes more than 10 km (6 miles) with their [donkeys](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) packed with empty jerry cans in search of water.<br>
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<br>Small-scale farmers, many of whom depend on rain-fed agriculture, go over strategies to offer their goats to make ends fulfill if the harvest is bad.<br>
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<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL<br>
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<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are worried.<br>
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<br>A little but growing number are shedding their problem of reliance on the weather - and investing in watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go scheme released more than three years earlier.<br>
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<br>Neighbouring farmers band together to purchase the watering system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.<br>
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<br>The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free monthly [instalments](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) until the total is paid off. They [purchase](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) the [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
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<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the [biodiesel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) pump allowed him to water a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of vegetables consisting of maize, tomatoes, spinach and [sweet potatoes](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86).<br>
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<br>"With a diesel pump, maize yields were lower and I would get 15,000 shillings in three months. With the biodiesel pump, I can earn 45,000 shillings," stated Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo village, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
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<br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
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<br>Other farmers indicate the plan as a significant benefit in assisting enhance their output.<br>
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<br>"The instalment scheme is excellent. Most farmers don't have the cash 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](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) pump.<br>
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<br>"Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are excellent which suggests we can pay off the cost of the pump gradually in small amounts, and have cash left over to pay the school costs."<br>
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<br>Zaynagro's effort is still in its early stages, with couple of [farmers](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) having repaid the full cost of the pumps.<br>
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<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) plans are appealing because they develop a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) for revenue, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
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<br>The simpleness of the design - user friendly, robust technology, assured supply of biodiesel [integrated](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) with a pay-as-you-go scheme - could assist energize rural Africa, he said.<br>
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<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options worldwide. The key concern is checking ideas and methods in a collaborative fashion," said Sanyal.<br>
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<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area need to attempt and discover from this experiment. Financial organizations ought to start explore loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors require to support experimentation."<br>
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<br>($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, [property](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) rights and environment modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>
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