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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](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) thought it should be a joke when he was informed he might water his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, cleanly and effectively utilizing a pump fuelled by cotton waste.<br>
<br>"Who could believe it's possible to make a fuel much better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" chuckled Mathoka, crouching down to check the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri village in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.<br>
<br>"But it works," he stated, strolling over to a nearby tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually helped me get greater yields, specifically throughout drought durations."<br>
<br>Mathoka said his revenues had doubled in the two years he has actually been pumping water using [biodiesel](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/), which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre less expensive than routine diesel.<br>
<br>The [biodiesel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) he is using is not just excellent news for him - it is also excellent news for the planet.<br>
<br>Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making process.<br>
<br>That means that along with being cleaner and less expensive than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no extra land is required to [produce](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) it.<br>
<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) crops has driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pressed farmers to change from [crops-for-food](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) to more profitable crops-for-fuel - exacerbating 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 business producing 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 introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.<br>
<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
<br>Climate change is taking a toll across east Africa and progressively erratic weather condition is becoming [commonplace](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) in such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rains.<br>
<br>The recurring droughts are damaging crops and [pastures](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) and are starving animals - [pushing millions](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) of people in the Horn of Africa to the edge of extreme hunger.<br>
<br>The variety of Kenyans in requirement of food help in March rose by nearly 70 percent over a period of eight months to 1.1 million, mainly due to poor rains, according to government figures.<br>
<br>With nearly half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a severe scarcity of rain, humanitarian agencies are cautioning of [increased hunger](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) in the months ahead.<br>
<br>"Only light rains is forecast through June ... and this is not expected to reduce dry spell in affected locations of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest report.<br>
<br>"Well below-average crop production, poor animals body conditions, and increased regional food costs are anticipated, which will decrease poor families' access to food."<br>
<br>In Kitui's Kyuso area, the indications are already evident.<br>
<br>Rivers, [water pans](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) and dams are drying up as a result of the prolonged drought.<br>
<br>Villagers experience trekking longer distances - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans searching for water.<br>
<br>Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom depend on rain-fed farming, discuss plans to sell their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is bad.<br>
<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL<br>
<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are stressed.<br>
<br>A small but growing number are shedding their burden of dependence on the weather condition - and investing in irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed [biodiesel](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) through a pay-as-you-go plan launched more than 3 years ago.<br>
<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to invest in the watering system - that includes the [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.<br>
<br>The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free month-to-month instalments until the total is paid off. They buy the biodiesel to run the pumps from [Zaynagro](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the biodiesel pump enabled him to water a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of vegetables 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 three months. With the biodiesel pump, I can earn 45,000 shillings," stated Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo town, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
<br>[CIRCULAR](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) ECONOMY<br>
<br>Other farmers indicate the plan as a significant advantage in assisting enhance their output.<br>
<br>"The instalment plan 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](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his blue biodiesel pump.<br>
<br>"Having a scheme like this helps us a lot. Our yields are great which means we can settle the expense of the pump gradually in small amounts, and have money left over to pay the school charges."<br>
<br>Zaynagro's effort is still in its early phases, with couple of farmers having repaid the complete cost of the pumps.<br>
<br>But such [biofuel](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) plans are appealing because they develop a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) for earnings, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World [Resources Institute](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/).<br>
<br>The simpleness of the design - easy-to-use, robust technology, assured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go scheme - could help electrify rural Africa, he stated.<br>
<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices on the planet. The key concern is checking concepts and methods in a collective style," stated Sanyal.<br>
<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area should attempt and gain from this experiment. Banks ought to begin explore loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors need 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, ladies's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and environment modification. Visit http://[news.trust](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608).org)<br>