From efff05754cedfafd014ab0875fefe9eae7744dd5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: chariscadell24 Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2025 02:12:14 +0800 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..9d666e1 --- /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.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) thought it needs to be a joke when he was told he could water his [drought-hit crops](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) more inexpensively, easily and effectively utilizing a pump fuelled by cotton waste.
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"Who could believe 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 town in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.
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"But it works," he stated, walking over to a neighboring tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has assisted me get higher yields, especially throughout dry spell periods."
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Mathoka stated his [earnings](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) had actually doubled in the two years he has actually been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre more affordable than routine diesel.
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The biodiesel he is using is not just excellent news for him - it is also [excellent news](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) for the planet.
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Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are stemmed from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889), it is made from a by-product of the [cotton-making process](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb).
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That suggests that as well as being cleaner and less expensive than routine 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.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) crops has actually driven forest communities off their land and pushed farmers to switch from crops-for-food to more rewarding crops-for-fuel - intensifying food lacks.
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"Our [biodiesel](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) originates from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the procedure of separating the seeds from raw cotton," stated Taher Zavery, handling director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based business producing the [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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"We started 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 regional farmers for irrigation."
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More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now invested in biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an initiative released by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.
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DRY RIVER BEDS
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Climate change is taking a toll across east Africa and significantly erratic weather condition is becoming commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rainfall.
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The repeating droughts are destroying crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing countless individuals in the Horn of Africa to the verge of severe hunger.
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The variety of Kenyans in requirement of food help in March surged by almost 70 percent over a duration of eight months to 1.1 million, mostly due to poor rains, according to [government figures](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608).
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With practically half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a major shortage of rain, humanitarian firms are alerting of increased cravings in the months ahead.
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"Only light rains is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to relieve dry spell in impacted locations of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early [Warning Systems](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) Network in its most current report.
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"Well below-average crop production, bad animals body conditions, and increased local food costs are anticipated, which will reduce bad homes' access to food."
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In Kitui's Kyuso area, the signs are currently evident.
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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 grumble of travelling longer ranges - sometimes more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty jerry cans looking for water.
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Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom are dependent on rain-fed farming, go over plans to sell 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 are fretted.
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A little but growing number are shedding their concern of dependence on the weather condition - and purchasing irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed [biodiesel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) through a pay-as-you-go plan launched more than 3 years earlier.
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Neighbouring farmers band together to purchase the irrigation system - which consists of the [biodiesel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of [biodiesel](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) - at expenses beginning with 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 up until the overall is settled. 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 pump permitted him to water a larger portion of his [one-acre](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) plot, where he grows a variety 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](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) pump, I can earn 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 farmers indicate the plan as a major advantage in assisting enhance their output.
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"The instalment plan is excellent. Most farmers do not have the cash and can not quickly get a loan to buy a pump like this," stated Maurice [Kitheka](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his blue biodiesel pump.
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"Having a scheme like this helps us a lot. Our yields are good which implies we can settle the expense of the pump slowly in percentages, and have cash left over to pay the school fees."
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Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early phases, with couple of having actually repaid the complete cost of the pumps.
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But such [biofuel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) plans are appealing because they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) for revenue, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.
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The simplicity of the design - easy-to-use, robust innovation, guaranteed supply of biodiesel combined with a pay-as-you-go plan - might assist energize rural Africa, he stated.
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"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices on the planet. The key problem is testing concepts and techniques in a collaborative style," said Sanyal.
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"Other cotton ginning factories in the region must attempt and gain from this experiment. Financial organizations must start exploring with loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers 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](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) Foundation, the charitable arm of [Thomson](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, females's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and climate modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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