From 5c71e8991ae737a0e7de5830b4403762550486fe Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Gary Fredricksen Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2025 05:11:54 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Fight Drought In Kenya --- ...owers-Farmers-to-Fight-Drought-In-Kenya.md | 40 +++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 40 insertions(+) create mode 100644 Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Fight-Drought-In-Kenya.md 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..dc9ad73 --- /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 needs to be a joke when he was told he could irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, cleanly and effectively using a pump sustained by cotton waste.
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"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel much better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" chuckled Mathoka, bending down to check the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri town in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.
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"But it works," he said, strolling over to a nearby tree and plucking a big [green pawpaw](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy). "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has assisted me get greater yields, especially during drought durations."
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[Mathoka stated](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) his incomes had actually doubled in the two years he has been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre less expensive than regular diesel.
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The [biodiesel](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) he is utilizing is not just [excellent news](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) for him - it is also good news for the planet.
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Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are stemmed from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making process.
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That indicates that in addition to being cleaner and less expensive than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no extra land is required to produce it.
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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 pressed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more profitable crops-for-fuel - intensifying food lacks.
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"Our biodiesel comes from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the process of separating the seeds from raw cotton," said Taher Zavery, managing director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based company producing the biodiesel.
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"We began producing and using 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 likewise to local farmers for irrigation."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually so far bought biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an effort launched by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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Climate modification is taking a toll across east Africa and significantly unpredictable weather is ending up being [commonplace](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) in [nations](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rains.
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The recurring dry spells are damaging crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing countless individuals in the Horn of Africa to the edge of extreme appetite.
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The number of Kenyans in need of food help in March surged by almost 70 percent over a period of eight months to 1.1 million, mainly due to bad rains, according to government figures.
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With almost half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a [major lack](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) of rain, humanitarian agencies are cautioning of increased appetite in the months ahead.
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"Only light rains 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 newest report.
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"Well below-average crop production, poor animals body conditions, and increased regional food rates are prepared for, which will reduce poor homes' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso location, the indications are currently obvious.
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Rivers, [water pans](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) and dams are drying up as an outcome of the prolonged dry spell.
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Villagers experience trekking longer sometimes more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty [jerry cans](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) in search of water.
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Small-scale farmers, many of whom are reliant on rain-fed agriculture, discuss strategies to offer their goats to make ends [satisfy](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) if the harvest is bad.
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BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL
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But not all Kitui's farmers are stressed.
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A little however growing number are shedding their problem of dependence on the weather condition - and purchasing irrigation [systems](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan launched more than 3 years ago.
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Neighbouring farmers unite to invest in the watering system - which consists of the [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at expenses beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.
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The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free regular monthly instalments up until the total is settled. They buy the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.
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Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the biodiesel pump permitted him to water a larger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety 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](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pump, I can earn 45,000 shillings," said 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 point to the scheme as a significant benefit in assisting enhance their output.
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"The instalment plan is great. Most farmers don't have the cash 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](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) pump.
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"Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are excellent which implies we can settle the expense of the pump slowly in small amounts, and have money left over to pay the school charges."
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Zaynagro's effort is still in its early phases, with few farmers having repaid the complete cost of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) schemes are [appealing](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) because they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) for profit, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for [Clean Energy](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The simplicity of the design - easy-to-use, robust technology, ensured supply of [biodiesel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) combined with a pay-as-you-go scheme - could assist energize rural Africa, he said.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options on the planet. The essential issue is checking concepts and approaches in a collective style," stated Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the area ought to attempt and learn from this experiment. Financial institutions must start explore loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors need 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, females's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and environment change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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