commit 4e9cb9739447612b2af90ad34064d5003bb76b55 Author: lorriscarfe009 Date: Fri Jan 10 20:41:06 2025 +0000 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..cbf5e62 --- /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 believed it should be a joke when he was informed he might irrigate 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 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 in [Kenya's southeast](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) Kitui county.
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"But it works," he said, walking over to a close-by tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has assisted me get greater yields, specifically throughout drought durations."
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Mathoka stated his revenues 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 regular diesel.
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The [biodiesel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) he is using is not just excellent news for him - it is likewise great news for the world.
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Unlike a lot of biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making process.
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That [implies](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) that along with being cleaner and less expensive than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other 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://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) crops has actually driven forest communities off their land and pressed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more lucrative crops-for-fuel [- intensifying](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) food [shortages](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html).
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"Our biodiesel originates from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the process of separating the seeds from raw cotton," stated Taher Zavery, handling director of [Zaynagro](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based business 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 some of their buses - and likewise to regional farmers for irrigation."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now bought [biodiesel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) pumps for irrigation as part of an initiative launched by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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[Climate modification](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) is taking a toll throughout east Africa and progressively irregular weather is ending up being [commonplace](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.
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The repeating droughts are ruining crops and pastures and are [starving animals](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) - pressing millions of individuals in the Horn of Africa to the brink of severe cravings.
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The number of Kenyans in need of food aid in March rose by nearly 70 percent over a duration of 8 months to 1.1 million, mostly due to poor rains, according to government figures.
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With almost half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a major lack 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 alleviate drought in impacted areas of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest report.
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"Well below-average crop production, bad livestock body conditions, and increased regional food prices are prepared for, which will decrease poor families' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso area, the [indications](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) are currently obvious.
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Rivers, [water pans](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) and dams are drying up as an outcome of the [prolonged drought](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/).
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Villagers complain of trekking longer ranges - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans looking for water.
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Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom depend on rain-fed agriculture, go over strategies to offer their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is poor.
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BATTLING DROUGHT WITH [BIODIESEL](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd)
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But not all Kitui's farmers are stressed.
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A small but growing number are shedding their burden of reliance on the [weather condition](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) - and investing in watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go scheme introduced more than three years back.
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Neighbouring farmers band together to purchase the irrigation system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning from 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.
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The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free month-to-month instalments till the total is settled. They buy the [biodiesel](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.
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Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the biodiesel pump allowed him to water a bigger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a [variety](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 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 indicate the plan as a significant benefit in assisting enhance their output.
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"The instalment scheme is good. Most farmers do not have the money and can not quickly get a loan to buy a pump like this," said Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his blue biodiesel pump.
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"Having a scheme like this helps us a lot. Our yields are good which indicates we can pay off the expense of the pump slowly in little amounts, and have cash left over to pay the school charges."
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Zaynagro's effort is still in its early phases, with couple of farmers having paid back the full cost of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) plans are appealing because they create a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) 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 - user friendly, robust technology, ensured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go scheme - could assist electrify rural Africa, he stated.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options on the planet. The crucial problem is evaluating concepts and approaches in a collective style," said Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the area must attempt and gain from this experiment. Financial institutions must begin explore 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. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, residential or commercial property rights and climate modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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