Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Eliminate 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](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) more cheaply, cleanly 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 [examine](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) the [watermelons](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri village in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.<br>
 <br>"But it works," he said, strolling over to a nearby tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually helped me get higher yields, particularly throughout drought durations."<br>
 <br>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 cheaper than regular diesel.<br>
 <br>The [biodiesel](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) he is using is not just good news for him - it is also great news for the planet.<br>
 <br>Unlike many biofuels, which are derived from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making process.<br>
 <br>That implies that along with being cleaner and cheaper than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels due to the fact that no extra land is needed to produce it.<br>
 <br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) crops has [driven forest](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) neighborhoods off their land and pushed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more lucrative crops-for-fuel - intensifying food shortages.<br>
 <br>"Our biodiesel originates from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the procedure of separating the seeds from raw cotton," said Taher Zavery, handling director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based company [producing](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) the biodiesel.<br>
 <br>"We started producing and utilizing it to power our cotton ginning factory in 2011. With increased production, we now use it for our trucks, sell it to the United Nations to run some of their buses - and also to regional farmers for watering."<br>
 <br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have so far purchased biodiesel pumps for watering as part of an initiative released by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.<br>
 <br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
 <br>Climate modification is taking a toll throughout east Africa and progressively erratic weather condition is ending up being commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.<br>
 <br>The repeating dry spells are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing countless individuals in the Horn of Africa to the edge of severe hunger.<br>
 <br>The number of Kenyans in need of food aid in March surged by practically 70 percent over a period of eight months to 1.1 million, mainly due to bad rains, according to government figures.<br>
 <br>With almost half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a severe shortage of rain, humanitarian companies are cautioning of [increased cravings](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) in the months ahead.<br>
 <br>"Only light rainfall is anticipated through June ... and this is not anticipated to alleviate dry spell in affected areas of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest report.<br>
 <br>"Well below-average crop production, poor animals body conditions, and increased local food costs are anticipated, which will lower poor homes' access to food."<br>
 <br>In Kitui's Kyuso location, the signs are already [evident](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86).<br>
 <br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the extended dry spell.<br>
 <br>Villagers experience trekking longer distances - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty [jerry cans](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) in search of water.<br>
 <br>Small-scale farmers, most of whom depend on rain-fed agriculture, go over plans to sell their goats to make ends fulfill if the [harvest](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) is poor.<br>
 <br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL<br>
 <br>But not all Kitui's farmers are fretted.<br>
 <br>A little 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 scheme launched more than 3 years ago.<br>
 <br>Neighbouring farmers unite to buy the [watering](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) - at costs beginning from 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.<br>
 <br>The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free  until the total is paid off. 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 allowed him to [irrigate](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of veggies including maize, tomatoes, spinach and sweet potatoes.<br>
 <br>"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 make 45,000 shillings," stated Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo village, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
 <br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
 <br>Other farmers point to the scheme as a major advantage in assisting improve their output.<br>
 <br>"The instalment plan is excellent. Most farmers do not have the cash and can not easily get a loan to buy a pump like this," stated Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood beside his blue biodiesel pump.<br>
 <br>"Having a plan like this helps us a lot. Our yields are great which indicates we can settle the expense of the pump gradually in little amounts, and have money left over to pay the school fees."<br>
 <br>[Zaynagro's effort](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) is still in its early stages, with few [farmers](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) having repaid the complete cost of the pumps.<br>
 <br>But such [biofuel schemes](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) are appealing because they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) for earnings, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean [Energy Finance](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) at the World Resources Institute.<br>
 <br>The simplicity of the model - easy-to-use, robust innovation, ensured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go scheme - could help amaze rural Africa, he stated.<br>
 <br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives in the world. The key problem is evaluating ideas and methods in a collaborative fashion," said Sanyal.<br>
 <br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the region should attempt and gain from this experiment. Banks should begin 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, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, residential or commercial property rights and environment change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>