Update 'Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Fight 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 thought it must be a joke when he was told he could water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and efficiently utilizing a pump sustained by [cotton waste](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb).<br>
 <br>"Who could believe it's possible to make a fuel better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" chuckled Mathoka, bending down to examine 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 close-by tree and [plucking](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) a big [green pawpaw](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy). "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually helped me get greater yields, especially during drought durations."<br>
 <br>Mathoka said his profits had actually doubled in the two years he has been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre cheaper than regular diesel.<br>
 <br>The biodiesel he is utilizing is not just excellent news for him - it is likewise great news for the world.<br>
 <br>Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are derived 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](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) and less expensive than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no additional land is required to produce it.<br>
 <br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) crops has driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pressed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more rewarding crops-for-fuel - worsening food shortages.<br>
 <br>"Our biodiesel comes from squashing 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 company producing the biodiesel.<br>
 <br>"We started producing and using 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."<br>
 <br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now purchased biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an effort released by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.<br>
 <br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
 <br>Climate change is taking a toll throughout east Africa and progressively erratic weather is becoming commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rainfall.<br>
 <br>The repeating droughts are ruining 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 brink of [severe hunger](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price).<br>
 <br>The [variety](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) of [Kenyans](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) in need of food help in March surged by practically 70 percent over a duration of eight months to 1.1 million, mostly due to bad rains, according to government figures.<br>
 <br>With almost [half Kenya's](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) 47 counties declared to have a severe scarcity of rain, humanitarian companies are cautioning of increased appetite in the months ahead.<br>
 <br>"Only light rains is forecast through June ... and this is not expected to ease drought in affected areas of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its newest report.<br>
 <br>"Well below-average crop production, poor livestock body conditions, and increased local food rates are prepared for, which will decrease bad homes' access to food."<br>
 <br>In Kitui's Kyuso area, the indications are already obvious.<br>
 <br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the prolonged drought.<br>
 <br>Villagers suffer [trekking](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) longer distances - sometimes 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 are reliant on rain-fed agriculture, talk about plans to sell their goats to make ends fulfill if the harvest is poor.<br>
 <br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL<br>
 <br>But not all Kitui's farmers are stressed.<br>
 <br>A little however growing number are shedding their problem of reliance on the weather - and purchasing irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan introduced more than 3 years back.<br>
 <br>Neighbouring farmers band together to purchase the irrigation system - which includes the [biodiesel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) - 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](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) till the total is paid off. They buy the [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80  a litre.<br>
 <br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the [biodiesel pump](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) enabled him to irrigate a larger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of vegetables consisting of 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 village, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
 <br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
 <br>Other [farmers](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) indicate the scheme as a major advantage in assisting enhance their output.<br>
 <br>"The instalment scheme is great. Most farmers don't have the cash and can not easily get a loan to purchase a pump like this," said Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood beside his blue biodiesel pump.<br>
 <br>"Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are good which suggests we can pay off the cost of the pump gradually in little amounts, and have cash left over to pay the school fees."<br>
 <br>Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early stages, with few farmers having actually paid back the complete cost of the pumps.<br>
 <br>But such [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) plans are appealing because they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) for revenue, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
 <br>The simplicity of the design - easy-to-use, robust innovation, assured supply of biodiesel combined with a pay-as-you-go scheme - could help [amaze rural](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) Africa, he stated.<br>
 <br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices on the planet. The essential concern is evaluating concepts and approaches in a collective style," stated Sanyal.<br>
 <br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the region should attempt and discover from this experiment. Financial organizations need to begin exploring with 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, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and climate modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>