iveyhollis4840/m2-capital-sdn.-bhd
1
0
Code Issues Actions Packages Projects Wiki

Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Eliminate Drought In Kenya

Vanita Shafer 2025-01-18 00:16:58 +01:00
commit 0576f4c1b3
1 changed files with 40 additions and 0 deletions
Show Stats Download Patch File Download Diff File Expand all files Collapse all files

40
Cotton-Waste-Biofuel-Powers-Farmers-to-Eliminate-Drought-In-Kenya.md Normal file

@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
<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 more inexpensively, cleanly and efficiently utilizing 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, bending down to inspect 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 said, walking over to a nearby tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has assisted me get greater yields, specifically throughout drought periods."<br>
<br>Mathoka said his incomes had doubled in the two years he has been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre cheaper than routine diesel.<br>
<br>The biodiesel he is using is not simply excellent news for him - it is also excellent news for the world.<br>
<br>Unlike many biofuels, which are [stemmed](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](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 suggests that as well as being [cleaner](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) and cheaper than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no extra land is required to produce it.<br>
<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) crops has driven forest communities off their land and pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more rewarding crops-for-fuel - intensifying food scarcities.<br>
<br>"Our biodiesel originates from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the process of separating the seeds from raw cotton," said Taher Zavery, handling director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based business producing the [biodiesel](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/).<br>
<br>"We began producing and utilizing it to power our cotton ginning factory in 2011. With increased production, we now utilize it for our trucks, offer it to the United Nations to run a few of their buses - and also to local farmers for irrigation."<br>
<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have up until now bought [biodiesel](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) pumps for watering as part of an initiative launched by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.<br>
<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
<br>Climate modification is taking a toll throughout east Africa and progressively unpredictable weather is ending up being commonplace in [countries](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.<br>
<br>The repeating dry spells are destroying crops and pastures and are starving animals - [pushing countless](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) people in the Horn of Africa to the edge of extreme hunger.<br>
<br>The number of Kenyans in requirement of food help in March rose by almost 70 percent over a duration of 8 months to 1.1 million, mostly due to bad rains, according to government figures.<br>
<br>With practically half Kenya's 47 to have a major lack of rain, humanitarian companies are alerting of increased cravings in the months ahead.<br>
<br>"Only light rains is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to reduce drought in affected areas of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest report.<br>
<br>"Well below-average crop production, bad animals body conditions, and increased local food costs are expected, which will decrease poor households' access to food."<br>
<br>In Kitui's Kyuso location, the indications are currently apparent.<br>
<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the extended dry spell.<br>
<br>Villagers grumble of trekking longer distances - sometimes more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty jerry cans looking for water.<br>
<br>Small-scale farmers, most of whom are reliant on rain-fed agriculture, [discuss strategies](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) to sell their goats to make ends [satisfy](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) if the harvest is poor.<br>
<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH [BIODIESEL](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053)<br>
<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are worried.<br>
<br>A little however growing number are shedding their problem of dependence on the weather condition - and purchasing irrigation [systems](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan launched more than three years back.<br>
<br>Neighbouring farmers band together to invest in the irrigation system - which consists of the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning from 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.<br>
<br>The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free monthly instalments until the total is settled. They purchase the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the biodiesel pump permitted him to irrigate a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of veggies including maize, tomatoes, spinach and [sweet potatoes](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb).<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 make 45,000 shillings," said Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo village, 40 km (25 miles) from [Kitui town](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/).<br>
<br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
<br>Other farmers indicate the plan as a significant benefit in [assisting improve](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) their output.<br>
<br>"The instalment scheme is good. Most farmers don't have the money and can not quickly get a loan to buy a pump like this," [stated Maurice](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his blue biodiesel pump.<br>
<br>"Having a plan like this helps us a lot. Our yields are good which means we can pay off the expense of the pump slowly in small amounts, and have cash left over to pay the school charges."<br>
<br>Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early stages, with couple of farmers having actually paid back the full cost of the pumps.<br>
<br>But such [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) schemes are appealing since they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) for earnings, [stated Sanjoy](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
<br>The simpleness of the design - easy-to-use, robust innovation, ensured supply of [biodiesel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) integrated with a [pay-as-you-go plan](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) - might help amaze rural Africa, he said.<br>
<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices in the world. The crucial problem is evaluating concepts and techniques in a collective fashion," stated Sanyal.<br>
<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area ought to try and find out from this experiment. Banks ought to 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, ladies's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>