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 needs to be a joke when he was informed he could irrigate his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, cleanly and effectively using a pump sustained by cotton waste.<br>
 <br>"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" chuckled Mathoka, crouching down to examine the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri village in [Kenya's southeast](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) Kitui county.<br>
 <br>"But it works," he said, strolling over to a neighboring tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this [biodiesel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) water pump has helped me get greater yields, particularly throughout drought durations."<br>
 <br>Mathoka stated his profits had doubled in the 2 years he has actually been pumping water utilizing [biodiesel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048), which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre cheaper than routine diesel.<br>
 <br>The biodiesel he is utilizing is not simply good news for him - it is likewise great news for the planet.<br>
 <br>Unlike many biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.<br>
 <br>That implies that along with being cleaner and more affordable than routine fuel, it is more [sustainable](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) than other biofuels because 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 communities off their land and pushed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more [lucrative crops-for-fuel](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) - exacerbating food lacks.<br>
 <br>"Our biodiesel originates 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 Ltd, the Kitui-based business [producing](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) the biodiesel.<br>
 <br>"We started producing and using it to power our cotton ginning factory in 2011. With increased production, we now use it for our trucks, offer it to the United Nations to run some of their buses - and also to local farmers for watering."<br>
 <br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now invested in biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an  by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.<br>
 <br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
 <br>Climate change is taking a toll throughout east Africa and increasingly erratic weather is becoming commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rainfall.<br>
 <br>The recurring dry spells are destroying crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing millions of people in the Horn of Africa to the brink of severe cravings.<br>
 <br>The number of Kenyans in need of food help in March surged by almost 70 percent over a period of eight months to 1.1 million, mainly due to bad rains, according to federal government figures.<br>
 <br>With almost [half Kenya's](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) 47 counties declared to have a severe scarcity of rain, humanitarian agencies are alerting of increased cravings in the months ahead.<br>
 <br>"Only light rains is anticipated through June ... and this is not anticipated to minimize dry spell in impacted areas of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its newest report.<br>
 <br>"Well below-average crop production, poor animals body conditions, and increased local food rates are prepared for, which will decrease poor families' access to food."<br>
 <br>In Kitui's Kyuso area, the signs are already evident.<br>
 <br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an [outcome](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) of the prolonged drought.<br>
 <br>[Villagers](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) complain of travelling longer ranges - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty jerry cans looking for water.<br>
 <br>Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom depend on rain-fed farming, go over strategies to offer their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is poor.<br>
 <br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL<br>
 <br>But not all Kitui's farmers are worried.<br>
 <br>A small but growing number are shedding their problem of dependence on the weather - and buying irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed [biodiesel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) through a pay-as-you-go plan released more than 3 years earlier.<br>
 <br>Neighbouring farmers band together to purchase the [irrigation](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) system - which consists of the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.<br>
 <br>The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free month-to-month instalments until the overall is paid off. They purchase the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
 <br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the [biodiesel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) pump enabled him to water a larger portion of his [one-acre](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) 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 pump, I can make 45,000 shillings," stated Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo town, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
 <br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
 <br>Other farmers indicate the scheme as a major benefit in assisting enhance their output.<br>
 <br>"The instalment plan is great. Most farmers do not have the money and can not quickly get a loan to purchase a pump like this," said Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his blue biodiesel pump.<br>
 <br>"Having a scheme like this assists us a lot. Our yields are good which implies we can pay off the cost of the pump slowly in little quantities, and have cash left over to pay the school charges."<br>
 <br>Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early phases, with couple of [farmers](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) having paid back the full cost of the pumps.<br>
 <br>But such [biofuel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) schemes are promising since they produce a [circular economy](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) by turning waste to biofuel for profit, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
 <br>The simplicity of the design - easy-to-use, robust technology, guaranteed supply of [biodiesel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) integrated with a pay-as-you-go scheme - might help amaze rural Africa, he said.<br>
 <br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives on the planet. The key problem is evaluating concepts and methods in a collaborative style," stated Sanyal.<br>
 <br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area need to try 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](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) @nitabhalla, [Editing](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) 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, property rights and environment change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>