commit def487df4a051670157bc41bd46d9849d7139421 Author: linahaskins16 Date: Sun Jan 12 06:29:54 2025 +0100 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..69ec52b --- /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 thought it needs to be a joke when he was informed he might [irrigate](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, easily and efficiently using a pump fuelled 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!" [chuckled](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) 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, strolling over to a close-by tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has helped me get greater yields, specifically throughout dry spell periods."
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Mathoka stated his revenues had actually doubled in the two years he has actually been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre cheaper than regular diesel.
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The biodiesel he is using is not just great news for him - it is likewise excellent news for the world.
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Unlike a lot of biofuels, which are obtained from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making process.
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That means that in addition to being cleaner and cheaper than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels due to the fact that no extra land is needed to produce it.
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From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) crops has actually driven forest [neighborhoods](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) off their land and pressed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more [rewarding crops-for-fuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) - exacerbating food scarcities.
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"Our biodiesel originates from squashing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the process of separating the seeds from raw cotton," stated Taher Zavery, handling director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based company 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 use it for our trucks, sell 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 up until now bought biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an effort introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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Climate modification is taking a toll across east Africa and significantly [irregular weather](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) is becoming commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.
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The recurring droughts are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing millions of individuals in the Horn of Africa to the edge of .
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The number of [Kenyans](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) in need of [food aid](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) in March rose by practically 70 percent over a period of eight months to 1.1 million, mainly due to poor rains, according to federal government figures.
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With nearly half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a severe lack of rain, humanitarian agencies are warning of increased hunger in the months ahead.
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"Only light rainfall is anticipated through June ... and this is not expected to ease 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, poor animals body conditions, and increased local food costs are expected, which will minimize poor families' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso location, the indications are currently evident.
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the [extended drought](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).
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Villagers experience trekking longer ranges - sometimes more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty jerry cans in search of water.
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[Small-scale](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) farmers, most of whom depend on [rain-fed](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) agriculture, go over 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 fretted.
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A little but growing number are shedding their concern of reliance on the weather condition - and purchasing watering systems powered by [Zaynagro's cotton](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go scheme introduced more than three years ago.
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Neighbouring farmers unite to purchase the watering system - which consists of the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at expenses starting from 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.
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The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free regular monthly instalments up until the overall is settled. They purchase the [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) 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.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) pump permitted him to irrigate a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of [vegetables consisting](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) of 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," 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 scheme as a significant advantage in assisting enhance their output.
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"The instalment plan 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 scheme like this assists us a lot. Our yields are great which means we can pay off the expense of the pump slowly in small amounts, and have cash left over to pay the school costs."
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Zaynagro's effort is still in its early phases, with few [farmers](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) having paid back the full expense of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) schemes are promising because they create a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) for profit, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The simplicity of the model - easy-to-use, robust innovation, ensured supply of [biodiesel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) combined with a pay-as-you-go plan - could assist energize rural Africa, he stated.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives on the planet. The key issue is evaluating ideas and methods in a collaborative style," [stated Sanyal](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608).
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the region ought to attempt and gain from this experiment. Financial institutions ought to start exploring with loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors need 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, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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