Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Fight 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 must be a joke when he was told he could water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and efficiently utilizing 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](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) Mathoka, crouching down to examine the [watermelons](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) on his 10-acre (four-hectare)  in Ituri village in [Kenya's southeast](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) Kitui county.<br>
 <br>"But it works," he stated, 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 during dry spell durations."<br>
 <br>[Mathoka](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) said his incomes had doubled in the two years he has been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre cheaper than routine diesel.<br>
 <br>The biodiesel he is using is not just excellent news for him - it is likewise excellent news for the world.<br>
 <br>Unlike the [majority](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) of biofuels, which are [stemmed](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making procedure.<br>
 <br>That suggests that along with being cleaner and cheaper than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no additional land is needed to [produce](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) it.<br>
 <br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) crops has actually driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pressed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more [lucrative crops-for-fuel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) - exacerbating food scarcities.<br>
 <br>"Our biodiesel comes from squashing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the procedure of separating the seeds from raw cotton," stated Taher Zavery, handling director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based business producing the biodiesel.<br>
 <br>"We started producing and utilizing 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 local farmers for watering."<br>
 <br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now purchased biodiesel pumps for watering as part of an effort introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.<br>
 <br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
 <br>Climate change is taking a toll throughout east Africa and progressively unpredictable weather condition is ending up being commonplace in [nations](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rains.<br>
 <br>The recurring dry spells are destroying crops and [pastures](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) and are starving animals - pressing millions of individuals in the Horn of Africa to the edge of severe hunger.<br>
 <br>The number of Kenyans in requirement of food aid in March surged by almost 70 percent over a period of eight months to 1.1 million, mostly due to poor rains, according to federal government figures.<br>
 <br>With nearly half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a major scarcity of rain, humanitarian firms are alerting of [increased cravings](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) in the months ahead.<br>
 <br>"Only light rainfall is anticipated through June ... and this is not expected to relieve dry spell in impacted areas of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems [Network](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) in its most current report.<br>
 <br>"Well below-average crop production, poor animals body conditions, and increased local food prices are expected, which will lower poor households' access to food."<br>
 <br>In Kitui's Kyuso location, the indications are currently obvious.<br>
 <br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the prolonged dry spell.<br>
 <br>Villagers experience trekking longer distances - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty jerry cans looking for water.<br>
 <br>Small-scale farmers, many of whom are dependent on rain-fed agriculture, go over plans to sell their goats to make ends fulfill if the harvest is poor.<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 - and investing in watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed [biodiesel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) through a pay-as-you-go plan released more than three years back.<br>
 <br>Neighbouring farmers band together to purchase the watering system - which consists of the [biodiesel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.<br>
 <br>The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free month-to-month instalments till the overall is paid off. They purchase the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
 <br>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 of vegetables 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 three 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 point to the plan as a major benefit in helping enhance their output.<br>
 <br>"The instalment scheme is excellent. Most farmers do not have the cash and can not quickly get a loan to purchase a pump like this," stated Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his blue biodiesel pump.<br>
 <br>"Having a plan like this helps us a lot. Our yields are excellent which implies we can settle the cost of the pump gradually in percentages, and have money left over to pay the school charges."<br>
 <br>Zaynagro's effort is still in its early phases, with few [farmers](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) having paid back the complete cost of the pumps.<br>
 <br>But such [biofuel](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) schemes are appealing since they develop a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) for earnings, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
 <br>The simplicity of the model - easy-to-use, robust technology, ensured supply of [biodiesel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - might help [electrify rural](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) Africa, he stated.<br>
 <br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options on the planet. The key issue is checking ideas and techniques in a collective fashion," said Sanyal.<br>
 <br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area should try and find out from this experiment. Financial institutions must start explore 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 Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and environment change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>