From 522adc6817c8125cb586201c1b13cd9f415bbd7d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jurgen Bertles Date: Sat, 11 Jan 2025 12:53:15 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Update 'Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Combat Drought In Kenya' --- ...wers-Farmers-to-Combat-Drought-In-Kenya.md | 40 +++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 40 insertions(+) create mode 100644 Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Combat-Drought-In-Kenya.md diff --git a/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Combat-Drought-In-Kenya.md b/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Combat-Drought-In-Kenya.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ce82f85 --- /dev/null +++ b/Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Combat-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](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) Mathoka thought it should be a joke when he was told he could water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and efficiently utilizing a pump fuelled by cotton waste.
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"Who could think 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](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.
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"But it works," he said, walking over to a close-by tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) water pump has actually helped me get higher yields, specifically throughout dry spell durations."
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Mathoka said his profits had doubled in the two years he has actually been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre more affordable than regular diesel.
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The biodiesel he is utilizing is not [simply excellent](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) news for him - it is likewise great news for the planet.
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Unlike a lot of biofuels, which are stemmed from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making process.
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That implies that as well as being cleaner and less expensive than regular 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.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) crops has actually driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pushed farmers to switch from [crops-for-food](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) to more lucrative crops-for-fuel - exacerbating food scarcities.
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"Our biodiesel comes from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the procedure of separating the seeds from raw cotton," stated Taher Zavery, managing director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based [business producing](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) the biodiesel.
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"We began producing and utilizing 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 some of their buses - and likewise to local farmers for watering."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have so far bought biodiesel pumps for watering as part of an initiative introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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Climate change is taking a toll across east Africa and progressively irregular weather condition is becoming commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rainfall.
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The repeating dry spells are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals - [pressing countless](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) people in the Horn of Africa to the edge of extreme appetite.
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The variety of Kenyans in need of [food aid](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) in March surged by almost 70 percent over a period of 8 months to 1.1 million, mostly due to bad rains, according to federal government figures.
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With nearly half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a severe shortage of rain, humanitarian firms are cautioning of [increased hunger](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) in the months ahead.
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"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to relieve dry spell in affected locations of Kenya and Somalia," stated 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 decrease poor families' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso location, the signs are currently apparent.
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the prolonged dry spell.
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Villagers suffer longer [ranges -](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty jerry cans looking for water.
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Small-scale farmers, many of whom are [reliant](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) on [rain-fed](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) farming, go over strategies to sell their goats to make ends meet 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 small but growing number are shedding their problem of dependence on the weather - and investing in irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan released more than 3 years ago.
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Neighbouring farmers unite to buy the watering system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at expenses starting from 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.
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The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free month-to-month 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 irrigate a larger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range 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 pump, I can earn 45,000 shillings," stated Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo village, 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 [major benefit](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) in assisting improve their output.
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"The instalment plan is good. Most farmers don't have the cash and can not easily get a loan to purchase a pump like this," stated Maurice [Kitheka](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) Munyoki, 41, as he stood beside his blue biodiesel pump.
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"Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are great which implies we can pay off the cost of the pump gradually in small quantities, and have money left over to pay the school fees."
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Zaynagro's effort is still in its early phases, with few farmers having actually repaid the complete cost of the pumps.
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But such biofuel schemes are appealing due to the fact that they develop a [circular economy](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) by turning waste to [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) for earnings, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The simpleness of the design - easy-to-use, robust innovation, guaranteed supply of [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) combined with a pay-as-you-go scheme - could assist electrify rural Africa, he said.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options in the world. The essential concern is checking ideas and methods in a collective style," said Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the area should attempt and find out from this experiment. Banks must begin try out loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers 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](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) news, [women's](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) and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and environment modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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