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<br>By Nita Bhalla<br> |
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<br>KITUI, Kenya, June 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka thought it must be a joke when he was informed he might irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, cleanly and effectively using a pump sustained by cotton waste.<br> |
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<br>"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel much better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" laughed Mathoka, bending down to inspect the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri village in [Kenya's southeast](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) Kitui county.<br> |
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<br>"But it works," he said, walking over to a nearby tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this [biodiesel](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) water pump has actually assisted me get greater yields, specifically during drought durations."<br> |
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<br>Mathoka stated his profits had 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 less expensive than routine diesel.<br> |
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<br>The biodiesel he is [utilizing](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) is not just good news for him - it is also good news for the world.<br> |
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<br>Unlike many biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm), it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making procedure.<br> |
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<br>That suggests that as well as being cleaner and more affordable than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no extra land is needed to produce it.<br> |
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<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) crops has driven forest communities off their land and [pushed farmers](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) to change from crops-for-food to more rewarding crops-for-fuel - exacerbating food scarcities.<br> |
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<br>"Our biodiesel comes from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the procedure of separating the seeds from raw cotton," said Taher Zavery, [handling director](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based company producing the biodiesel.<br> |
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<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, sell it to the United Nations to run a few of their buses - and also to local farmers for irrigation."<br> |
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<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now invested in biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an effort launched by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.<br> |
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<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br> |
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<br>Climate change is taking a toll across east Africa and significantly erratic weather is ending up being commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to [lower rainfall](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US).<br> |
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<br>The recurring dry spells are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing countless people in the Horn of Africa to the verge of extreme cravings.<br> |
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<br>The variety of Kenyans in requirement of food aid in March rose by practically 70 percent over a period of eight months to 1.1 million, mostly due to poor rains, according to government figures.<br> |
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<br>With almost half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a major lack of rain, humanitarian companies are [alerting](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) of [increased hunger](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) in the months ahead.<br> |
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<br>"Only light rainfall is forecast through June ... and this is not expected to relieve drought in impacted areas of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early [Warning Systems](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) Network in its latest report.<br> |
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<br>"Well below-average crop production, poor animals body conditions, and increased local food prices are anticipated, which will reduce poor households' access to food."<br> |
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<br>In Kitui's Kyuso location, the signs are currently [obvious](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/).<br> |
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<br>Rivers, [water pans](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) and dams are drying up as a result of the prolonged drought.<br> |
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<br>Villagers experience trekking longer [distances -](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty jerry cans in search of water.<br> |
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<br>Small-scale farmers, most of whom depend on rain-fed agriculture, talk about strategies to sell their goats to make ends fulfill if the harvest is poor.<br> |
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<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL<br> |
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<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are worried.<br> |
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<br>A small however growing number are shedding their burden of reliance on the weather - and buying watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go scheme released more than 3 years back.<br> |
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<br>Neighbouring farmers band together to purchase the irrigation system - which consists of the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of [pipelines](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs starting from 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.<br> |
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<br>The [farmers](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) make an initial payment, then pay interest-free regular monthly instalments until the total is settled. They purchase the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br> |
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<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pump permitted him to irrigate a bigger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of veggies consisting of maize, tomatoes, spinach and sweet potatoes.<br> |
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<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 make 45,000 shillings," said Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo village, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br> |
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<br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br> |
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<br>Other farmers indicate the scheme as a in assisting enhance their output.<br> |
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<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 beside his blue biodiesel pump.<br> |
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<br>"Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are excellent which indicates we can pay off the expense of the pump slowly in little quantities, and have money left over to pay the school charges."<br> |
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<br>Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early phases, with few farmers having paid back the complete expense of the pumps.<br> |
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<br>But such [biofuel](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) plans are appealing since they [develop](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) for earnings, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br> |
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<br>The simpleness of the design - easy-to-use, robust technology, ensured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - could help amaze rural Africa, he stated.<br> |
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<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices worldwide. The key issue is evaluating ideas and approaches in a collective style," said Sanyal.<br> |
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<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the region must attempt and gain from this experiment. Financial organizations should start explore loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers need to support experimentation."<br> |
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<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](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br> |
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