Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Combat Drought In Kenya

2025-01-23 01:31:41 +08:00 · 2025-01-23 01:31:41 +08:00 · 11a1fa26a3
commit 11a1fa26a3
parent 51b505c27c
1 changed files with 40 additions and 0 deletions
--- a/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Combat-Drought-In-Kenya.md
+++ b/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Combat-Drought-In-Kenya.md
@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
 <br>By Nita Bhalla<br>
 <br>KITUI, Kenya, June 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka thought it must be a joke when he was told he could irrigate his [drought-hit crops](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) more cheaply, cleanly and effectively utilizing a [pump fuelled](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) by cotton waste.<br>
 <br>"Who could believe it's possible to make a fuel much better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" laughed Mathoka, crouching down to check the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri village in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.<br>
 <br>"But it works," he stated, strolling over to a nearby tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually helped me get greater yields, especially throughout dry spell periods."<br>
 <br>Mathoka said his incomes had actually doubled in the 2 years he has been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre more affordable than regular diesel.<br>
 <br>The [biodiesel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) he is using is not simply excellent news for him - it is also great news for the world.<br>
 <br>Unlike most biofuels, which are derived 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.<br>
 <br>That suggests that in addition to being cleaner and cheaper than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no extra land is required to produce it.<br>
 <br>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 off their land and pressed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - exacerbating food shortages.<br>
 <br>"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, managing director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based company producing the biodiesel.<br>
 <br>"We began producing and using it to power our cotton ginning factory in 2011. With increased production, we now utilize it for our trucks, sell it to the United Nations to run a few of their buses - and likewise to regional farmers for watering."<br>
 <br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually so far [bought biodiesel](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) pumps for watering as part of an [initiative released](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.<br>
 <br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
 <br>Climate modification is taking a toll across east Africa and significantly irregular weather is ending up being commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rains.<br>
 <br>The repeating droughts are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing [countless](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) people in the Horn of Africa to the brink of extreme hunger.<br>
 <br>The number of Kenyans in requirement of [food aid](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) in March rose by almost 70 percent over a duration of 8 months to 1.1 million, mainly due to bad rains, according to government figures.<br>
 <br>With [practically half](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a serious scarcity of rain, humanitarian companies are cautioning of increased hunger in the months ahead.<br>
 <br>"Only light rains 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 most current report.<br>
 <br>"Well below-average crop production, bad livestock body conditions, and increased local food rates are expected, which will reduce poor families' access to food."<br>
 <br>In Kitui's Kyuso area, the indications are already obvious.<br>
 <br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the extended dry spell.<br>
 <br>Villagers experience travelling longer distances - sometimes more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty jerry cans looking for water.<br>
 <br>Small-scale farmers, the [majority](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) of whom depend on rain-fed farming, discuss strategies to sell their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is bad.<br>
 <br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL<br>
 <br>But not all Kitui's farmers are worried.<br>
 <br>A small but growing number are shedding their burden of reliance on the weather - and buying irrigation systems powered by [Zaynagro's cotton](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan launched more than three years back.<br>
 <br>Neighbouring farmers band together to invest in the watering system - which 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>
 <br>The farmers make an initial payment, then [pay interest-free](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) regular monthly instalments till the overall is settled. They buy the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
 <br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the [biodiesel pump](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) permitted him to [irrigate](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) a larger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of veggies including maize, tomatoes, spinach and sweet potatoes.<br>
 <br>"With a diesel pump, maize yields were lower and I would get 15,000 shillings in 3 months. With the biodiesel pump, I can earn 45,000 shillings," stated Alex Babu Kitheka,  near his plot in Ilangilo town, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
 <br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
 <br>Other [farmers](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) point to the plan as a significant advantage in assisting enhance their output.<br>
 <br>"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](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) pump.<br>
 <br>"Having a plan like this helps us a lot. Our yields are excellent which implies we can settle the expense of the pump gradually in percentages, and have money left over to pay the school charges."<br>
 <br>Zaynagro's effort is still in its early stages, with couple of [farmers](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) having paid back the complete [expense](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) of the pumps.<br>
 <br>But such [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) schemes are appealing because they develop a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) for profit, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
 <br>The simpleness of the model - user friendly, robust technology, assured supply of biodiesel combined with a pay-as-you-go plan - could help electrify rural Africa, he said.<br>
 <br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices worldwide. The key issue is testing concepts and techniques in a collective style," stated Sanyal.<br>
 <br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area must attempt and gain from this experiment. Banks ought to begin try out loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers require to support experimentation."<br>
 <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, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, residential or commercial property rights and environment change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>