From dd661f50123c74e37c025c5c3e72885e0158ad5e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Otilia Vasser Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2025 04:39:51 +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..84b2076 --- /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 Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka believed it needs to be a joke when he was told he could irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, 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!" chuckled Mathoka, [crouching](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) 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 said, walking over to a neighboring tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this [biodiesel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) water pump has assisted me get greater yields, specifically during dry spell durations."
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Mathoka stated his [incomes](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) had doubled in the two years he has been pumping water utilizing [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053), which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre less expensive than regular diesel.
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The [biodiesel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) he is using is not just excellent news for him - it is also excellent 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://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making process.
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That means that along with being cleaner and less expensive 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://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) crops has actually driven forest [neighborhoods](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) off their land and pushed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - exacerbating food lacks.
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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," stated 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 use it for our trucks, offer it to the United Nations to run some of their buses - and also to local farmers for watering."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have so far purchased [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) pumps for watering as part of an [effort launched](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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Climate modification is taking a toll across east Africa and progressively irregular weather is becoming commonplace in nations 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 countless individuals in the Horn of Africa to the edge of severe appetite.
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The variety of Kenyans in requirement of food help in March surged by nearly 70 percent over a duration of 8 months to 1.1 million, mainly due to poor rains, according to government figures.
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With practically half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a severe scarcity of rain, humanitarian agencies are alerting of increased appetite in the months ahead.
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"Only light rains is anticipated through June ... and this is not anticipated to reduce dry spell in affected locations of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems [Network](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) in its newest report.
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"Well below-average crop production, bad livestock body conditions, and increased regional food costs are anticipated, which will minimize bad households' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso location, the [indications](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) are currently apparent.
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the prolonged drought.
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Villagers suffer trekking longer distances - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their [donkeys loaded](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) with empty looking for water.
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[Small-scale](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) farmers, most of whom depend on rain-fed agriculture, talk about strategies to offer their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is poor.
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BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL
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But not all Kitui's farmers are stressed.
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A small however growing number are shedding their burden of dependence on the weather - and buying irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan released more than three years ago.
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Neighbouring farmers band together to buy the irrigation system - that includes the [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs starting 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 monthly instalments up until the total is settled. They purchase the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.
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Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the biodiesel pump enabled him to irrigate a bigger part 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 village, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.
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CIRCULAR ECONOMY
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Other farmers indicate the plan as a major advantage in helping enhance their output.
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"The instalment scheme is excellent. Most farmers do not have the cash and can not quickly get a loan to purchase a pump like this," said Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood beside his blue [biodiesel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) pump.
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"Having a scheme like this assists us a lot. Our yields are excellent which means we can settle the cost of the pump gradually in percentages, and have cash left over to pay the school fees."
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Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early phases, with couple of farmers having actually repaid the complete cost of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](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) schemes are appealing due to the fact that they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) for earnings, stated Sanjoy 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 technology, assured supply of [biodiesel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) combined with a pay-as-you-go plan - might help electrify rural Africa, he stated.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options in the world. The essential concern is evaluating ideas and methods in a collective fashion," said Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the area should try and gain from this experiment. Financial organizations should start explore 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 Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, females's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, residential or [commercial property](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) rights and [environment](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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