Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Combat Drought In Kenya

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 <br>By Nita Bhalla<br>
 <br>KITUI, Kenya, June 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka believed it needs to be a joke when he was informed he might water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and effectively using a pump sustained 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, bending down to examine the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri town in [Kenya's](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) southeast Kitui county.<br>
 <br>"But it works," he said, strolling over to a nearby tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has assisted me get greater yields, specifically throughout dry spell durations."<br>
 <br>Mathoka stated his earnings had doubled in the 2 years he has been pumping water using [biodiesel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889), 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 good news for him - it is likewise good news for the world.<br>
 <br>Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are derived from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making process.<br>
 <br>That implies that in addition to being cleaner and cheaper than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels due to the fact that no additional land is needed to produce it.<br>
 <br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) crops has actually driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pushed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - exacerbating food scarcities.<br>
 <br>"Our biodiesel comes from squashing 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 company producing the biodiesel.<br>
 <br>"We started 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 also to regional farmers for irrigation."<br>
 <br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now invested in biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an initiative introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.<br>
 <br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
 <br>Climate change is taking a toll throughout east Africa and increasingly unpredictable weather condition is becoming commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rains.<br>
 <br>The repeating dry spells are destroying crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing [millions](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) of people in the Horn of Africa to the brink of extreme appetite.<br>
 <br>The number of Kenyans in requirement of food help in March rose by [practically](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) 70 percent over a [duration](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) of 8 months to 1.1 million, largely due to bad rains, according to federal government figures.<br>
 <br>With practically half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a major shortage of rain, [humanitarian companies](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) are cautioning of increased cravings in the months ahead.<br>
 <br>"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to relieve dry spell in impacted locations of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems  in its latest report.<br>
 <br>"Well below-average crop production, bad animals body conditions, and increased local food costs are anticipated, which will minimize poor homes' access to food."<br>
 <br>In Kitui's Kyuso location, the signs are currently apparent.<br>
 <br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the prolonged drought.<br>
 <br>Villagers suffer travelling longer distances - sometimes more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty [jerry cans](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) looking for water.<br>
 <br>Small-scale farmers, most of whom are dependent on rain-fed farming, discuss plans to offer their goats to make ends fulfill if the harvest is bad.<br>
 <br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL<br>
 <br>But not all Kitui's farmers are worried.<br>
 <br>A little but growing number are shedding their concern of dependence on the [weather condition](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) - and [investing](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) in [irrigation systems](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan launched more than three years earlier.<br>
 <br>Neighbouring farmers unite to invest in the irrigation system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of [biodiesel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) - at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, [depending](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) upon the size of the pump.<br>
 <br>The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free monthly instalments until the total is paid off. They buy the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
 <br>[Farmer Alex](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the biodiesel pump [permitted](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) him to water 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, standing near his plot in Ilangilo village, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
 <br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
 <br>Other farmers indicate the plan as a major advantage in helping enhance their output.<br>
 <br>"The instalment scheme is great. 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 pump.<br>
 <br>"Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are excellent which suggests we can pay off the expense of the pump gradually in percentages, and have money left over to pay the school charges."<br>
 <br>Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early phases, with couple of farmers having repaid the full expense 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.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) for profit, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
 <br>The simpleness of the design - user friendly, robust technology, guaranteed supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go scheme - could assist energize rural Africa, he stated.<br>
 <br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives in the world. The key problem is testing concepts and approaches in a collective fashion," said Sanyal.<br>
 <br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area should try and gain from this experiment. Financial organizations should start try out loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors 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](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) 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](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>