From be6219e56445245f7000d75fa62770ddfde4fada Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Marcelino Orth Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2025 19:38:39 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Fight Drought In Kenya --- ...owers-Farmers-to-Fight-Drought-In-Kenya.md | 40 +++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 40 insertions(+) create mode 100644 Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Fight-Drought-In-Kenya.md 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..1027a61 --- /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 told he might [irrigate](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) his [drought-hit crops](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) more inexpensively, easily and efficiently utilizing a pump sustained 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, bending down to check 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, walking over to a nearby tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has assisted me get higher yields, particularly throughout dry spell durations."
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Mathoka stated his incomes had doubled in the two years he has actually been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre more affordable than routine diesel.
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The [biodiesel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) he is using is not simply excellent news for him - it is also good news for the world.
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Unlike many biofuels, which are stemmed from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.
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That indicates that in addition to being cleaner and cheaper than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no additional land is needed to produce it.
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From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to [cultivate biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) crops has driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pushed farmers to change from [crops-for-food](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) to more rewarding [crops-for-fuel -](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) intensifying 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," said Taher Zavery, [managing director](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based company producing the biodiesel.
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"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 a few of their buses - and likewise to local farmers for watering."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have so far bought [biodiesel](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) pumps for irrigation as part of an initiative launched by [Zaynagro](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) in 2015, said Zavery.
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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Climate change is taking a toll across east Africa and progressively irregular weather is becoming commonplace in [countries](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.
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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 edge of extreme cravings.
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The number of Kenyans in need of [food aid](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) in March rose by almost 70 percent over a period of eight 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 lack of rain, humanitarian companies are warning of increased hunger in the months ahead.
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"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not expected to ease dry spell in impacted areas of Kenya and Somalia," said 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 prices are anticipated, which will lower bad families' access to food."
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In [Kitui's Kyuso](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) location, the signs are already apparent.
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the extended drought.
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Villagers suffer trekking longer ranges - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans in search of water.
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Small-scale farmers, most of whom are reliant on rain-fed farming, talk about strategies to offer their goats to make ends satisfy if the harvest is bad.
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BATTLING DROUGHT WITH [BIODIESEL](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price)
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But not all Kitui's farmers are stressed.
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A little but growing number are shedding their burden of reliance on the weather condition - and purchasing watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan introduced more than 3 years ago.
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Neighbouring farmers band together to buy the irrigation system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) - at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending on 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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Babu Kitheka, 39, said the biodiesel pump enabled him to water a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of veggies including maize, tomatoes, [spinach](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) 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 town, 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 good. Most farmers don't have the money and can not quickly get a loan to purchase a pump like this," said 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 good which suggests we can pay off the expense of the pump slowly in percentages, and have cash left over to pay the school costs."
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Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early stages, with few farmers having actually repaid the complete cost of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) schemes are promising because they create a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) for profit, [stated Sanjoy](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The simplicity of the design - easy-to-use, robust innovation, guaranteed supply of biodiesel combined with a pay-as-you-go plan - might assist amaze rural Africa, he stated.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives on the planet. The essential concern is checking concepts and methods in a collaborative style," said Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the area need to attempt and gain from this experiment. Financial institutions should start 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 by Nita Bhalla @nitabhalla, Editing by [Claire Cozens](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL). Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, females's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and environment modification. Visit http://[news.trust](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US).org)
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