From 9d04e011cdb7f0764f75d37bec3e92d6269f59b7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: donnaalmeida15 Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2025 08:55:40 +0800 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..c0d82b1 --- /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 thought it needs to be a joke when he was told he might irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, cleanly and effectively utilizing a pump sustained by cotton waste.
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"Who could believe it's possible to make a fuel better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" chuckled Mathoka, [bending](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) down to check the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri village in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.
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"But it works," he stated, walking over to a nearby tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has assisted me get higher yields, particularly during drought durations."
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Mathoka said his revenues had actually doubled in the 2 years he has actually 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 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 curcas](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.
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That implies that as well as being cleaner and less expensive than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no extra land is needed to produce it.
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From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) crops has actually driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - intensifying food shortages.
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"Our biodiesel originates 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 business producing the [biodiesel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb).
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"We started 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 a few of their buses - and likewise to regional farmers for watering."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have so far bought [biodiesel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) pumps for watering as part of an [initiative launched](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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Climate modification is taking a toll throughout east Africa and increasingly irregular weather is becoming commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.
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The [repeating droughts](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) are destroying crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing millions of individuals in the Horn of Africa to the verge of severe hunger.
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The variety of Kenyans in need of food help 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.
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With almost half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a severe shortage of rain, humanitarian firms are warning of [increased cravings](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) in the months ahead.
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"Only light rains is anticipated through June ... and this is not expected to ease drought in impacted areas of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest report.
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"Well below-average crop production, poor animals body conditions, and increased regional food costs are prepared for, which will reduce bad homes' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso area, the signs are already apparent.
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the extended dry spell.
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Villagers suffer travelling longer distances - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans in search of water.
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Small-scale farmers, most of whom are reliant on [rain-fed](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) farming, talk about plans to sell their goats to make ends satisfy if the harvest is poor.
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BATTLING DROUGHT WITH [BIODIESEL](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/)
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But not all Kitui's farmers are stressed.
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A little but growing number are shedding their concern of reliance on the [weather -](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) and investing in irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan [released](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) 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 [pipelines](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) and 10 litres of [biodiesel](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) - at expenses starting from 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.
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The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free month-to-month instalments up until the total is paid off. They purchase the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 [shillings](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) a litre.
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Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the [biodiesel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) pump permitted him to irrigate a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of vegetables consisting of 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 three months. With the [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pump, I can make 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 plan as a significant advantage in assisting enhance their output.
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"The instalment plan is great. Most farmers do not have the cash and can not quickly get a loan to buy a pump like this," stated Maurice [Kitheka](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his blue biodiesel pump.
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"Having a scheme like this helps us a lot. Our yields are good which indicates we can settle the cost of the pump slowly in percentages, and have money left over to pay the school charges."
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Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early stages, with couple of farmers having paid back the complete cost of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) plans are promising due to the fact that they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) for profit, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The simplicity of the design - user friendly, robust innovation, ensured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go scheme - might assist electrify rural Africa, he said.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives worldwide. The key issue is testing ideas and techniques in a collective fashion," said Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the region must try and discover from this experiment. Banks must begin exploring with loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors require to support experimentation."
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($1 = 101.3000 Kenyan shillings) (Reporting by Nita Bhalla @nitabhalla, Editing by . Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, ladies's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and environment modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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