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 should be a joke when he was told he might water his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, easily and effectively using a pump fuelled by cotton waste.<br>
 <br>"Who could think 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 town](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) in Kenya's [southeast Kitui](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) county.<br>
 <br>"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 helped me get higher yields, especially during dry spell periods."<br>
 <br>Mathoka stated his profits had doubled in the 2 years he has actually been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre more affordable than routine diesel.<br>
 <br>The biodiesel he is [utilizing](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) is not simply good news for him - it is also great 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.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.<br>
 <br>That suggests that along with being cleaner and less expensive than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no extra 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 communities off their land and pushed farmers to change 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," said Taher Zavery, handling director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based business 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, offer it to the United Nations to run some of their buses - and likewise to regional farmers for watering."<br>
 <br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now purchased [biodiesel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) pumps for watering as part of an effort released by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.<br>
 <br>[DRY RIVER](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) BEDS<br>
 <br>Climate change is taking a toll throughout east Africa and progressively unpredictable weather condition is ending up being commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.<br>
 <br>The recurring droughts are [destroying crops](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) and pastures and are [starving animals](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) - pressing millions of individuals in the Horn of Africa to the edge of severe cravings.<br>
 <br>The variety of Kenyans in requirement of food help in March rose by nearly 70 percent over a duration of 8 months to 1.1 million, mostly due to bad rains, according to government figures.<br>
 <br>With nearly half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a severe lack of rain, humanitarian companies are cautioning of [increased appetite](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) in the months ahead.<br>
 <br>"Only light rains is forecast through June ... and this is not expected to ease drought in affected locations of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest report.<br>
 <br>"Well below-average crop production, bad animals body conditions, and increased local food costs are anticipated, which will reduce bad families' access to food."<br>
 <br>In Kitui's Kyuso location, the indications are currently obvious.<br>
 <br>Rivers, [water pans](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) and dams are drying up as a result of the extended drought.<br>
 <br>Villagers experience travelling longer ranges - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans looking for water.<br>
 <br>Small-scale farmers, most of whom depend on rain-fed agriculture, [discuss strategies](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) to sell 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 small however growing number are [shedding](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) their burden of dependence on the weather - and investing in watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan [released](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) more than three years ago.<br>
 <br>Neighbouring farmers band together to buy the watering system - which consists of the [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) - at expenses beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.<br>
 <br>The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free month-to-month instalments till the overall is settled. They purchase the [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) 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 portion 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](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pump, I can make 45,000 shillings," stated Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo town, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
 <br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
 <br>Other farmers point to the scheme as a major benefit in assisting enhance their output.<br>
 <br>"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.<br>
 <br>"Having a scheme like this assists us a lot. Our yields are great 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."<br>
 <br>Zaynagro's effort is still in its early stages, with few farmers having actually repaid the complete expense of the pumps.<br>
 <br>But such [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) schemes are promising because they produce 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 profit, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
 <br>The simpleness of the  user friendly, robust innovation, assured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - could assist electrify rural Africa, he said.<br>
 <br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives worldwide. The key issue is checking concepts and approaches in a collaborative style," said Sanyal.<br>
 <br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area should try and discover from this experiment. Banks should start explore loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors need 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](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and climate modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>