bernadetteclut
/
pt-sinergi-oleo-nusantara
1
0
Code Issues Packages Projects Wiki

Add Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers to Combat Drought In Kenya

Rashad Hand 2025-01-13 01:28:17 +00:00
parent 3008587377
commit 8e88af49cc
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-Combat-Drought-In-Kenya.md Normal file

@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
<br>By Nita Bhalla<br>
<br>KITUI, Kenya, June 6 ([Thomson Reuters](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka believed it should be a joke when he was told he could water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and effectively using a [pump sustained](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) by [cotton waste](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html).<br>
<br>"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" chuckled Mathoka, crouching down to check the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) in Ituri town in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.<br>
<br>"But it works," he said, walking over to a [close-by tree](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually helped me get greater yields, specifically throughout drought periods."<br>
<br>Mathoka said his incomes had actually doubled in the two years he has been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more [effective](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre cheaper than regular diesel.<br>
<br>The [biodiesel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) he is utilizing is not just [excellent news](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) for him - it is also great news for the planet.<br>
<br>Unlike many biofuels, which are [stemmed](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](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), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making process.<br>
<br>That indicates that in addition to being cleaner and cheaper than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no extra land is needed to produce it.<br>
<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) crops has actually driven forest communities off their land and pressed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more profitable crops-for-fuel - exacerbating food lacks.<br>
<br>"Our biodiesel comes from squashing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the process of separating the seeds from raw cotton," stated Taher Zavery, handling director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based company producing the [biodiesel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048).<br>
<br>"We started producing and using 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 a few of their buses - and likewise to regional farmers for watering."<br>
<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have so far purchased [biodiesel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) 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 condition is becoming commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.<br>
<br>The repeating droughts are ruining crops and pastures and are [starving animals](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) - pressing millions of people in the Horn of Africa to the brink of severe appetite.<br>
<br>The variety of Kenyans in need of food aid in March rose by nearly 70 percent over a period of eight months to 1.1 million, mostly due to bad rains, according to government figures.<br>
<br>With practically half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a major lack of rain, humanitarian agencies are alerting of increased cravings in the months ahead.<br>
<br>"Only light rains is anticipated through June ... and this is not expected to reduce dry spell in impacted locations of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its newest report.<br>
<br>"Well below-average crop production, poor animals body conditions, and increased regional food prices are anticipated, which will decrease poor homes' access to food."<br>
<br>In Kitui's Kyuso area, the signs are already evident.<br>
<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the extended drought.<br>
<br>Villagers suffer travelling longer distances - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty jerry cans looking for water.<br>
<br>Small-scale farmers, most of whom depend on rain-fed farming, talk about strategies to sell their goats to make ends fulfill if the [harvest](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) is bad.<br>
<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL<br>
<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are fretted.<br>
<br>A small but growing number are shedding their concern of dependence on the weather - 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 scheme released more than three years ago.<br>
<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to purchase the watering system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at expenses beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.<br>
<br>The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free regular monthly instalments till the total is settled. They buy the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the biodiesel pump [allowed](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) him to irrigate a larger part 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 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 plan as a significant advantage in assisting improve their output.<br>
<br>"The instalment scheme is great. Most farmers do not 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](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) pump.<br>
<br>"Having a scheme like this helps us a lot. Our yields are excellent which indicates we can pay off the cost of the pump slowly in little quantities, and have cash left over to pay the school charges."<br>
<br>Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early stages, with few farmers having paid back the full cost of the pumps.<br>
<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) plans are appealing due to the fact that they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) for revenue, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
<br>The simplicity of the model - user friendly, robust technology, guaranteed supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go scheme - could help [energize rural](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) Africa, he said.<br>
<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices in the world. The key issue is checking concepts and approaches in a collaborative style," stated Sanyal.<br>
<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area ought to attempt and gain from this experiment. Financial organizations should start explore 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, [females's](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, residential or commercial property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>