<strong>Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Eliminate Drought In Kenya</strong>

By Nita Bhalla
KITUI, Kenya, June 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka thought it needs to be a joke when he was informed he might irrigate his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, cleanly and effectively utilizing a pump fuelled by cotton waste.
"Who could believe it's possible to make a fuel 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 village in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.
"But it works," he said, strolling over to a nearby tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has assisted me get greater yields, specifically during drought periods."
Mathoka stated his <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US">revenues</a> had doubled in the 2 years he has actually been pumping water utilizing <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm">biodiesel</a>, which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US">litre cheaper</a> than routine diesel.
The <a href="https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053">biodiesel</a> he is using is not simply excellent news for him - it is likewise great news for the world.
Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are <a href="https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy">stemmed</a> from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and <a href="https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price">jatropha</a>, it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.
That means that along with being cleaner and more affordable than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels due to the fact that no additional land is required to produce it.
From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate <a href="https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL">biofuel</a> crops has actually driven forest communities off their land and pressed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more rewarding crops-for-fuel - intensifying food scarcities.
"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, <a href="https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/">managing</a> <a href="https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/">director</a> of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based company producing the <a href="https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile">biodiesel</a>.
"We began 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 a few of their buses - and also to regional farmers for irrigation."
More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually so far invested in <a href="https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile">biodiesel</a> pumps for watering as part of an initiative introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.
DRY RIVER BEDS
Climate change is taking a toll throughout east Africa and progressively unpredictable weather condition is ending up being commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rainfall.
The recurring droughts are destroying crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing <a href="https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html">countless people</a> in the Horn of Africa to the verge of extreme hunger.
The number of Kenyans in requirement of food help in March surged by almost 70 percent over a period of 8 months to 1.1 million, mostly due to poor rains, according to government figures.
With almost half <a href="https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited">Kenya's</a> 47 to have a serious lack of rain, humanitarian companies are cautioning of increased hunger in the months ahead.
"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to alleviate dry spell in impacted areas of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest report.
"Well below-average crop production, bad animals body conditions, and increased regional food costs are anticipated, which will decrease poor households' access to food."
In Kitui's Kyuso area, the signs are already evident.
Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the extended dry spell.
Villagers suffer trekking longer distances - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty jerry cans searching for water.
Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom are reliant on rain-fed agriculture, talk about strategies to offer their goats to make ends fulfill if the harvest is bad.
BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL
But not all Kitui's farmers are worried.
A small but growing number are shedding their burden of reliance on the weather - and investing in watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan launched more than three years earlier.
Neighbouring farmers unite to buy the watering system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at expenses starting from 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.
The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free <a href="https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy">monthly instalments</a> up until the total is settled. They purchase the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.
Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the <a href="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">biodiesel pump</a> permitted him to irrigate a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of veggies including maize, tomatoes, spinach and sweet potatoes.
"With a diesel pump, maize yields were lower and I would get 15,000 shillings in 3 months. With the biodiesel pump, I can earn 45,000 shillings," stated Alex Babu Kitheka, <a href="https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86">standing</a> near his plot in Ilangilo village, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Other farmers point to the plan as a significant advantage in assisting enhance their output.
"The instalment scheme is excellent. Most farmers do not have the cash and can not quickly get a loan to buy a pump like this," said Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood beside his blue biodiesel pump.
"Having a plan like this helps us a lot. Our yields are great which means we can settle the cost of the pump gradually in percentages, and have cash left over to pay the school fees."
Zaynagro's effort is still in its early stages, with few farmers having paid back the full cost of the pumps.
But such <a href="https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL">biofuel</a> plans are appealing since they produce a circular economy by turning waste to <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm">biofuel</a> for profit, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
The simpleness of the design - user friendly, robust innovation, ensured supply of <a href="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">biodiesel integrated</a> with a pay-as-you-go plan - could help energize rural Africa, he stated.
"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options on the planet. The crucial concern is checking concepts and approaches in a collaborative style," stated Sanyal.
"Other cotton ginning factories in the region should attempt and learn from this experiment. Financial organizations need to start try out loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers need to support experimentation."
($1 = 101.3000 Kenyan shillings) (Reporting by Nita Bhalla @nitabhalla, Editing by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the <a href="https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html">charitable</a> arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, females's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, residential or commercial property rights and <a href="https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86">environment modification</a>. Visit http://news.trust.org)