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 believed it should be a joke when he was informed he might water his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, easily and efficiently using a pump sustained by cotton waste.<br>
 <br>"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel much better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" laughed Mathoka, bending down to inspect 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 nearby tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) water pump has helped me get greater yields, especially throughout drought periods."<br>
 <br>Mathoka said his profits had actually doubled in the two years he has been pumping water utilizing [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053), which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre more affordable than regular diesel.<br>
 <br>The biodiesel he is using is not just good news for him - it is also great news for the world.<br>
 <br>Unlike many 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 process.<br>
 <br>That implies that in addition to being cleaner and less expensive than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because 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 pressed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - [intensifying food](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) lacks.<br>
 <br>"Our biodiesel comes from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the procedure of separating the seeds from raw cotton," [stated Taher](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) Zavery, managing 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, offer it to the United Nations to run some of their buses - and also to local farmers for watering."<br>
 <br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now invested in [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pumps for watering as part of an initiative released by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.<br>
 <br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
 <br>Climate modification is taking a toll across east Africa and increasingly erratic weather condition is becoming commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.<br>
 <br>The repeating dry spells are [damaging crops](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) and pastures and are starving animals - pushing millions of people in the Horn of Africa to the verge of [severe appetite](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd).<br>
 <br>The variety of Kenyans in need of [food aid](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) in March rose by [practically](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) 70 percent over a duration of eight months to 1.1 million, largely due to bad rains, according to government figures.<br>
 <br>With almost half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a serious lack of rain, humanitarian firms are cautioning of increased appetite in the months ahead.<br>
 <br>"Only light rains is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to ease 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, bad livestock body conditions, and increased local food costs are prepared for, which will lower bad households' 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 extended drought.<br>
 <br>Villagers suffer trekking longer distances - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans looking for water.<br>
 <br>Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom depend on [rain-fed](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) farming, discuss strategies to offer their goats to make ends satisfy if the harvest is bad.<br>
 <br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH [BIODIESEL](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html)<br>
 <br>But not all Kitui's farmers are stressed.<br>
 <br>A small however growing number are shedding their burden of reliance on the weather - and investing in irrigation 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 purchase the watering system - that includes the [biodiesel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) pump, 12 metres of pipes 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 [regular monthly](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) instalments up until the overall is settled. They buy the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
 <br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the biodiesel pump enabled him to irrigate a [bigger portion](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of vegetables 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 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 plan as a major advantage in [helping](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) improve their output.<br>
 <br>"The instalment scheme is good. 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.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) pump.<br>
 <br>"Having a plan like this helps us a lot. Our yields are good 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 initiative is still in its early phases, with couple of [farmers](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) having actually paid back the complete  of the pumps.<br>
 <br>But such [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) plans are appealing because they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](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) for earnings, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
 <br>The simplicity of the design - easy-to-use, robust technology, guaranteed supply of biodiesel combined with a pay-as-you-go scheme - might assist energize rural Africa, he said.<br>
 <br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options worldwide. The key problem is testing ideas and approaches in a collective style," said Sanyal.<br>
 <br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area need to try and find out from this experiment. Financial institutions must start try out 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, females's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>