From 21b17bc95df6be7b31ee878c45515f403cf58c92 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: heathlarkins07 Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2025 08:00:09 +0300 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..9344136 --- /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 could irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, 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 Mathoka, bending down to inspect the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri [village](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) in Kenya's southeast [Kitui county](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd).
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"But it works," he said, walking over to a nearby tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has helped me get greater yields, particularly throughout drought durations."
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Mathoka said his incomes had 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 routine diesel.
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The [biodiesel](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) he is is not just great news for him - it is likewise great news for the world.
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Unlike most biofuels, which are obtained from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making procedure.
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That implies that in addition to being cleaner and less expensive than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no additional 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 driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pressed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - intensifying food scarcities.
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"Our [biodiesel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) originates from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the procedure of separating the seeds from raw cotton," said Taher Zavery, managing 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 a few 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 invested in biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an effort launched by Zaynagro in 2015, [stated Zavery](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm).
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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Climate modification is taking a toll across east Africa and significantly unpredictable weather condition is becoming commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rains.
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The recurring droughts are [ruining](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing countless people in the Horn of Africa to the edge of severe hunger.
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The number of Kenyans in need of food help in March surged by practically 70 percent over a duration of eight months to 1.1 million, largely due to bad rains, according to [government figures](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US).
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With practically half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a serious scarcity of rain, humanitarian agencies are warning of increased cravings in the months ahead.
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"Only light rains is anticipated through June ... and this is not anticipated to alleviate 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, poor animals body conditions, and increased local food rates are anticipated, which will reduce bad households' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso area, the indications 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 - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty jerry cans searching for water.
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Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom depend on rain-fed farming, talk about strategies to sell their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is bad.
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[BATTLING DROUGHT](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) 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 fretted.
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A small but growing number are shedding their problem of reliance on the [weather condition](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) - and purchasing watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) through a pay-as-you-go scheme released more than 3 years ago.
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[Neighbouring farmers](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) band together to buy the irrigation system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning from 32,000 shillings, [depending](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) upon the size of the pump.
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The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free monthly instalments until the overall is paid off. They purchase the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.
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Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the biodiesel pump enabled him to water a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of veggies 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 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 advantage in assisting improve their output.
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"The instalment plan is great. Most farmers don't 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.
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"Having a plan like this helps us a lot. Our yields are good which suggests we can settle the expense of the pump gradually in percentages, and have cash left over to pay the school fees."
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Zaynagro's effort is still in its early stages, with few farmers having actually repaid the complete expense of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) plans are promising because they develop a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) for revenue, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The simpleness of the model - easy-to-use, robust technology, ensured supply of [biodiesel](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) integrated with a [pay-as-you-go plan](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) - could [assist amaze](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) rural Africa, he stated.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options in the world. The essential problem is testing concepts and approaches in a collective fashion," said Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the area ought to attempt and discover from this experiment. Financial organizations must start experimenting 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, property rights and [climate modification](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy). Visit http://news.trust.org)
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