From 8e1da457a66988b19e0517350bd58dc70c80cf0e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: melvinpetchy72 Date: Sat, 11 Jan 2025 18:00:39 +0000 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..a67c7cb --- /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](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka believed it must be a joke when he was informed he might water his [drought-hit crops](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) more cheaply, cleanly 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!" laughed Mathoka, crouching down to inspect 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 neighboring tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has helped me get greater yields, especially throughout drought durations."
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Mathoka said his incomes had actually doubled in the 2 years he has actually been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre less expensive than regular diesel.
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The biodiesel he is utilizing is not just great news for him - it is likewise great news for the planet.
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Unlike many biofuels, which are stemmed from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making process.
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That suggests that along with being cleaner and cheaper than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no extra land is required to [produce](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) it.
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From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) crops has driven forest [communities](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) off their land and pushed farmers to change from [crops-for-food](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) to more lucrative crops-for-fuel - intensifying food [scarcities](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited).
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"Our [biodiesel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) comes from squashing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the process of separating the seeds from raw cotton," said Taher Zavery, managing director of Zaynagro [Industries](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) Ltd, the Kitui-based business producing the biodiesel.
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"We started producing and using 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 local farmers for irrigation."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually so far purchased biodiesel pumps for watering as part of an initiative launched by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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Climate modification is taking a toll across east Africa and progressively irregular weather condition is ending up being commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rainfall.
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The repeating droughts are damaging crops and [pastures](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) and are starving animals - pressing millions of individuals in the Horn of Africa to the brink of severe cravings.
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The variety of Kenyans in need of food aid in March rose by nearly 70 percent over a duration of 8 months to 1.1 million, largely due to bad rains, according to government figures.
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With nearly half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a major lack of rain, humanitarian companies are cautioning of increased cravings in the months ahead.
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"Only light rains is anticipated through June ... and this is not anticipated to relieve drought in impacted areas of Kenya and Somalia," said 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 local food prices are expected, which will decrease poor families' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso location, the indications are currently evident.
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Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the prolonged drought.
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Villagers suffer travelling longer distances - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty jerry cans searching for water.
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Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom depend on rain-fed farming, talk about plans to sell their goats to make ends satisfy if the harvest is bad.
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BATTLING DROUGHT WITH [BIODIESEL](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)
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But not all Kitui's [farmers](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) are worried.
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A little but growing number are shedding their problem of dependence on the weather condition - and purchasing irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go scheme launched more than 3 years ago.
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Neighbouring farmers band together to invest in the watering system - which includes the [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning from 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.
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The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free monthly instalments till the total is settled. They buy the [biodiesel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.
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Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the biodiesel pump allowed him to irrigate a bigger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of vegetables 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 make 45,000 shillings," said 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 indicate the plan as a [major benefit](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) 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 purchase 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 excellent which indicates we can pay off the cost of the pump gradually in percentages, and have cash left over to pay the school fees."
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Zaynagro's effort is still in its early stages, with few farmers having repaid the complete expense of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) plans are appealing since they develop a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) 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 technology, ensured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - might [assist energize](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) rural Africa, he stated.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options worldwide. The essential issue is evaluating concepts and approaches in a collaborative style," said Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the region must try and discover from this experiment. Financial institutions ought to start 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 Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the [charitable](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and [environment modification](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608). Visit http://news.trust.org)
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