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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 thought it must be a joke when he was informed he might water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, cleanly and efficiently utilizing a pump fuelled by cotton waste.<br>
<br>"Who could believe it's possible to make a fuel better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" chuckled Mathoka, crouching down to check the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri village in [Kenya's southeast](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) Kitui county.<br>
<br>"But it works," he said, walking over to a neighboring tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this [biodiesel](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) water pump has actually helped me get greater yields, particularly throughout drought durations."<br>
<br>Mathoka said his incomes had doubled in the two years he has been pumping water using [biodiesel](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/), which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre cheaper than regular diesel.<br>
<br>The [biodiesel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) he is using is not simply great news for him - it is also great news for the planet.<br>
<br>Unlike most biofuels, which are stemmed from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.<br>
<br>That means that as well as being cleaner and more affordable than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no extra land is required to produce 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 pushed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - intensifying food lacks.<br>
<br>"Our biodiesel originates from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the procedure of separating the seeds from raw cotton," said Taher Zavery, handling director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based business producing the [biodiesel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile).<br>
<br>"We began 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 also to local farmers for irrigation."<br>
<br>More than 1,200 [farmers](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) in Kitui have so far bought biodiesel pumps for watering as part of an effort introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.<br>
<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
<br>Climate change is taking a toll throughout east Africa and progressively unpredictable weather is ending up being commonplace in [nations](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rains.<br>
<br>The repeating droughts are damaging crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing countless people in the Horn of Africa to the brink of severe cravings.<br>
<br>The variety of Kenyans in requirement of food aid in March rose by nearly 70 percent over a duration of eight months to 1.1 million, mostly due to bad rains, according to government figures.<br>
<br>With practically half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a severe scarcity of rain, [humanitarian agencies](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) are cautioning of increased hunger in the months ahead.<br>
<br>"Only light rains is anticipated through June ... and this is not anticipated to reduce drought in affected locations of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its most current report.<br>
<br>"Well below-average crop production, bad livestock body conditions, and increased local food costs are expected, which will reduce bad homes' access to food."<br>
<br>In Kitui's Kyuso area, the signs are currently evident.<br>
<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the prolonged dry spell.<br>
<br>Villagers grumble of travelling longer [distances -](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans searching for water.<br>
<br>Small-scale farmers, many of whom are dependent on rain-fed farming, discuss plans to offer 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 fretted.<br>
<br>A small but growing number are shedding their concern of reliance on the weather condition - and buying watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go scheme introduced more than 3 years ago.<br>
<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to invest in the watering system - that includes the [biodiesel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.<br>
<br>The [farmers](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) make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free regular monthly instalments until the total is paid off. They buy the [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
<br>[Farmer Alex](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the biodiesel pump allowed him to water a larger portion 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 three months. With the biodiesel pump, I can make 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 scheme as a major benefit in helping enhance their output.<br>
<br>"The instalment scheme is excellent. Most farmers don't have the cash and can not quickly get a loan to buy a pump like this," said [Maurice Kitheka](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his blue biodiesel pump.<br>
<br>"Having a scheme like this helps us a lot. Our yields are good which suggests we can settle the expense of the pump gradually in small amounts, and have money left over to pay the school charges."<br>
<br>[Zaynagro's effort](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) is still in its early stages, with few farmers having actually repaid the full cost of the pumps.<br>
<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) schemes are appealing because they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) for profit, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
<br>The simpleness of the model - easy-to-use, robust technology, assured supply of [biodiesel](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) combined with a pay-as-you-go plan - might assist energize rural Africa, he said.<br>
<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options in the world. The crucial concern is evaluating ideas and methods in a collaborative fashion," said Sanyal.<br>
<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area should try and gain from this experiment. Financial institutions ought to begin explore loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers require to support experimentation."<br>
<br>($1 = 101.3000 Kenyan shillings) (Reporting by @nitabhalla, Editing by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that [covers humanitarian](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and environment change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>