commit 45f4eb8acfed73c6ad26e68f0b2db9e8d7347f85 Author: jettasantoro82 Date: Sat Jan 18 07:20:36 2025 +0800 Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Fight Drought In Kenya 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..c35c860 --- /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 Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka thought it should be a joke when he was informed he could water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and effectively utilizing a pump [fuelled](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) by [cotton waste](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/).
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"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 inspect 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](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has helped me get greater yields, specifically during drought periods."
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Mathoka stated his revenues had actually doubled in the 2 years he has actually been [pumping water](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) utilizing biodiesel, which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre cheaper than routine diesel.
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The biodiesel he is utilizing is not just great news for him - it is also good news for the world.
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Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are derived from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html), it is made from a byproduct of the [cotton-making procedure](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/).
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That indicates that as well as being cleaner and less expensive than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels due to the fact that no additional land is required to produce it.
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From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) crops has driven forest communities off their land and pressed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more rewarding crops-for-fuel - worsening food lacks.
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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 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 utilize it for our trucks, offer it to the United Nations to run some of their buses - and also to regional farmers for watering."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have up until now bought biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an effort released by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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[Climate modification](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) is taking a toll across east Africa and increasingly irregular weather condition is ending up being commonplace in [countries](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rains.
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The repeating dry spells are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing millions of people in the Horn of Africa to the verge of severe cravings.
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The variety of Kenyans in requirement of food aid in March surged by practically 70 percent over a period of 8 months to 1.1 million, mainly due to bad rains, according to government figures.
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With nearly half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a severe scarcity of rain, humanitarian companies are cautioning of increased appetite in the months ahead.
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"Only light rainfall is anticipated through June ... and this is not anticipated to minimize drought in impacted locations of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its newest report.
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"Well below-average crop production, bad animals body conditions, and increased regional food costs are anticipated, which will decrease poor households' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso location, the signs are currently obvious.
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the extended drought.
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Villagers experience trekking longer ranges - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty jerry cans in search of water.
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Small-scale farmers, many of whom depend on rain-fed farming, talk about strategies to offer their goats to make ends fulfill 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 little but growing number are their burden of dependence on the weather - and purchasing watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go scheme released more than 3 years earlier.
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Neighbouring farmers unite to buy the watering system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.
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The [farmers](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free regular monthly instalments till the total is paid off. They buy 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.
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Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the [biodiesel](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) pump enabled him to irrigate a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of vegetables 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 pump, I can earn 45,000 shillings," stated Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in [Ilangilo](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) town, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.
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CIRCULAR ECONOMY
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Other farmers point to the scheme as a significant benefit in helping enhance their output.
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"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 pump.
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"Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are excellent which implies we can settle the cost of the pump slowly in percentages, and have money left over to pay the school charges."
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Zaynagro's effort is still in its early stages, with few [farmers](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) having actually repaid the full cost of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) schemes are appealing since they develop a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) for revenue, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The simplicity of the design - user friendly, robust innovation, [ensured supply](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) of biodiesel combined with a pay-as-you-go scheme - might [assist amaze](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) rural Africa, he stated.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options on the planet. The crucial issue is testing ideas and approaches in a collaborative style," stated Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the region ought to try and find out from this experiment. Banks need to begin try out loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors require to support experimentation."
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($1 = 101.3000 Kenyan shillings) ([Reporting](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) by Nita Bhalla @nitabhalla, Editing by [Claire Cozens](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd). Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, ladies's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, [property](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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