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 thought it must be a joke when he was informed he might water his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, easily and efficiently utilizing 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](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) Mathoka, bending down to check the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri town in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.<br>
 <br>"But it works," he stated, walking over to a close-by tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually helped me get higher yields, especially during dry spell periods."<br>
 <br>Mathoka stated his revenues had doubled in the 2 years he has actually been pumping water utilizing [biodiesel](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), which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre more affordable than regular diesel.<br>
 <br>The [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) he is using is not just good news for him - it is also excellent news for the planet.<br>
 <br>Unlike most biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.<br>
 <br>That means that as well as being cleaner and less expensive than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels due to the fact that no additional land is needed to produce it.<br>
 <br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) crops has actually driven forest communities off their land and pushed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more lucrative crops-for-fuel [- worsening](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) food lacks.<br>
 <br>"Our biodiesel comes 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 Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based company producing the biodiesel.<br>
 <br>"We began producing and utilizing 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.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) pumps for watering as part of an initiative introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.<br>
 <br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
 <br>Climate change is taking a toll across east Africa and progressively unpredictable weather is ending up being commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rainfall.<br>
 <br>The repeating droughts are damaging crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing countless people in the Horn of Africa to the verge of extreme appetite.<br>
 <br>The number of Kenyans in requirement of food aid in March surged by practically 70 percent over a period of 8 months to 1.1 million, largely due to poor rains, according to government figures.<br>
 <br>With practically half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a severe shortage of rain, humanitarian agencies are alerting of [increased hunger](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) in the months ahead.<br>
 <br>"Only light rains is anticipated through June ... and this is not expected to alleviate drought in affected areas of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest report.<br>
 <br>"Well below-average crop production, poor livestock body conditions, and increased local food prices are prepared for, which will lower poor families' access to food."<br>
 <br>In Kitui's Kyuso area, the indications are already evident.<br>
 <br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the extended dry spell.<br>
 <br>Villagers suffer trekking longer ranges - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their  with empty jerry cans looking for water.<br>
 <br>[Small-scale](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) farmers, many of whom depend on rain-fed farming, discuss plans to offer their goats to make ends satisfy 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 their burden of dependence on the weather condition - and [purchasing watering](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go scheme launched more than three years earlier.<br>
 <br>Neighbouring farmers band together to buy the watering system - that includes the [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at expenses beginning from 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.<br>
 <br>The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free regular monthly instalments till the total is [settled](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889). They [purchase](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) the [biodiesel](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 [shillings](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) a litre.<br>
 <br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the [biodiesel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) pump enabled him to water a bigger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of veggies consisting of 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](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in [Ilangilo](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) town, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
 <br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
 <br>Other farmers indicate the plan as a major benefit in assisting enhance their output.<br>
 <br>"The instalment plan is great. 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 assists us a lot. Our yields are great which suggests we can pay off the cost of the pump slowly in percentages, and have cash left over to pay the school costs."<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://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) plans are promising since they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) for earnings, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
 <br>The simpleness of the model - easy-to-use, robust innovation, ensured supply of [biodiesel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) combined with a pay-as-you-go scheme - might help electrify rural Africa, he said.<br>
 <br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices on the planet. The key concern is evaluating ideas and methods in a collaborative fashion," said Sanyal.<br>
 <br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the region must attempt and discover from this experiment. Financial organizations must begin 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, females's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and environment change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>