baileycgw2433/mission-biofuels-sdn.-bhd
1
0
Code Issues Actions Packages Projects Wiki

Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Eliminate Drought In Kenya

Bailey Hargrove 2025-01-11 20:21:50 +00:00
parent a46df5b6e6
commit 26a1fa4c10
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 ( Foundation) - Kenyan [farmer Abel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) Mutie Mathoka thought it needs to be a joke when he was told he could irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and effectively utilizing a pump fuelled by cotton waste.<br>
<br>"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel much better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" laughed Mathoka, crouching 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 said, walking over to a neighboring tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has assisted me get greater yields, specifically during dry spell durations."<br>
<br>Mathoka stated his revenues had doubled in the two years he has been pumping water using [biodiesel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile), which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre cheaper than [routine](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) diesel.<br>
<br>The biodiesel he is utilizing is not just good news for him - it is likewise great news for the planet.<br>
<br>Unlike a lot 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 procedure.<br>
<br>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.<br>
<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) crops has actually driven forest communities off their land and pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - exacerbating food shortages.<br>
<br>"Our biodiesel comes from crushing 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 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, offer it to the United Nations to run a few of their buses - and also to local farmers for watering."<br>
<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually so far bought [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pumps for watering as part of an effort introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.<br>
<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
<br>Climate modification is taking a toll throughout east Africa and increasingly erratic weather condition is becoming commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rains.<br>
<br>The recurring droughts are destroying crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing [millions](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) of people in the Horn of Africa to the verge of extreme cravings.<br>
<br>The variety of Kenyans in [requirement](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) of food help in March surged by nearly 70 percent over a duration of 8 months to 1.1 million, largely due to bad rains, according to federal government figures.<br>
<br>With nearly half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a major scarcity of rain, humanitarian companies are cautioning of increased hunger in the months ahead.<br>
<br>"Only light rains is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to alleviate 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, bad animals body conditions, and increased local food costs are anticipated, which will reduce poor families' access to food."<br>
<br>In Kitui's Kyuso area, the indications are currently [apparent](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889).<br>
<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the prolonged dry spell.<br>
<br>Villagers experience trekking longer ranges - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans searching for water.<br>
<br>Small-scale farmers, many of whom depend on rain-fed farming, go over strategies to sell their goats to make ends fulfill if the harvest is bad.<br>
<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL<br>
<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are worried.<br>
<br>A little however growing number are [shedding](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) their concern of dependence on the weather condition - and investing in watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed [biodiesel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) through a pay-as-you-go plan released more than 3 years earlier.<br>
<br>Neighbouring farmers band together to purchase the irrigation system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at expenses beginning from 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.<br>
<br>The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free [monthly instalments](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) until the total is paid off. They buy the [biodiesel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the biodiesel pump permitted him to irrigate a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of [veggies consisting](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) of maize, tomatoes, [spinach](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) 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 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 ECONOMY<br>
<br>Other farmers point to the scheme as a [major benefit](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) in assisting enhance their output.<br>
<br>"The instalment plan is great. Most farmers don't have the cash and can not quickly get a loan to buy 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 great which means we can pay off the expense of the pump slowly in small quantities, and have money left over to pay the school fees."<br>
<br>Zaynagro's effort is still in its early phases, with couple of farmers having repaid the full cost of the pumps.<br>
<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) plans are appealing due to the fact that they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) for earnings, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
<br>The simpleness of the [design -](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) user friendly, robust technology, [ensured supply](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go scheme - could assist energize rural Africa, he stated.<br>
<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options in the world. The key concern is checking ideas and techniques in a collaborative style," [stated Sanyal](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb).<br>
<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area need to try and gain from this experiment. Banks ought to start exploring with loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers 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, females's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>