commit 65e55f5210798b818ab4fbed56a779413798a5a3 Author: corazonharriso Date: Sun Jan 12 00:49:46 2025 +0800 Update 'Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Fight Drought In Kenya' 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..897533e --- /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](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) thought it must be a joke when he was informed he might water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and effectively utilizing a pump sustained by cotton waste.
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"Who could believe it's possible to make a fuel much better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" [chuckled](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) Mathoka, crouching 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 said, strolling 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 assisted me get higher yields, specifically throughout drought periods."
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[Mathoka](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) said his profits had actually doubled in the two years he has 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](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) he is utilizing is not just great news for him - it is also good news for the planet.
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Unlike most biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making procedure.
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That indicates that along with being cleaner and less expensive than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels due to the fact that no additional 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 communities off their land and pushed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more rewarding crops-for-fuel [- exacerbating](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) food lacks.
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"Our [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) originates from squashing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the process of separating the seeds from raw cotton," stated Taher Zavery, managing director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based company producing the [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053).
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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 a few of their buses - and also to regional farmers for watering."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually so far purchased [biodiesel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) pumps for watering as part of an effort released 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 significantly unpredictable weather condition is ending up being commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rains.
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The repeating dry spells are destroying crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing countless individuals in the Horn of Africa to the edge of extreme cravings.
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The number of Kenyans in requirement of food aid in March surged by almost 70 percent over a duration of eight months to 1.1 million, largely due to bad rains, according to federal government figures.
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With practically half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a severe lack of rain, humanitarian agencies are cautioning of [increased hunger](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) in the months ahead.
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"Only light rains is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to alleviate drought in impacted areas 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 prices are prepared for, which will minimize bad households' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso area, the signs are already [apparent](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm).
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the prolonged dry spell.
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Villagers experience travelling longer ranges - sometimes more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans searching for water.
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Small-scale farmers, most of whom are dependent on rain-fed agriculture, go over strategies to offer their goats to make ends satisfy if the harvest is bad.
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BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL
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But not all Kitui's [farmers](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) are worried.
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A little but growing number are shedding their burden of dependence on the weather condition - and buying irrigation systems powered by [Zaynagro's cotton](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go scheme released more than 3 years earlier.
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Neighbouring farmers unite to buy the watering system - which includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.
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The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free regular monthly instalments till the overall is paid off. They purchase 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](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) pump enabled him to water a larger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of veggies 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 3 months. With the biodiesel pump, I can earn 45,000 shillings," said Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo town, 40 km (25 miles) from .
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CIRCULAR ECONOMY
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Other [farmers](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) point to the plan as a significant advantage in [assisting improve](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) their output.
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"The instalment scheme is excellent. Most farmers don't 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.
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"Having a plan like this helps us a lot. Our yields are great which indicates we can settle the expense of the pump slowly in small quantities, and have money left over to pay the school fees."
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Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early phases, with few [farmers](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) having actually paid back the full cost of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) plans are promising because they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) 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, assured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go scheme - could help electrify rural Africa, he said.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives in the world. The essential problem is checking ideas and techniques in a collaborative fashion," said Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the region ought to attempt and gain from this experiment. Banks ought to begin try out 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 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, residential or commercial property rights and environment change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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