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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 told he might water his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, cleanly and efficiently using a pump sustained by cotton waste.<br> |
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<br>"Who could believe it's possible to make a fuel better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" chuckled Mathoka, crouching down to inspect the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) [shared plot](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) in Ituri village in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.<br> |
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<br>"But it works," he said, walking over to a close-by tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has assisted me get higher yields, specifically during dry spell durations."<br> |
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<br>Mathoka stated his incomes had actually doubled in the 2 years he has actually been pumping water using 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 using is not simply great news for him - it is also good news for the world.<br> |
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<br>Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are stemmed from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd), it is made from a [by-product](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) of the cotton-making procedure.<br> |
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<br>That means that along with being cleaner and cheaper than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no additional land is required to produce it.<br> |
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<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to [cultivate](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) [biofuel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) crops has actually driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pressed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more lucrative crops-for-fuel - intensifying food [shortages](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048).<br> |
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<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, managing director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based company producing the biodiesel.<br> |
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<br>"We began producing and utilizing 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 likewise to regional farmers for irrigation."<br> |
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<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now 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 launched by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.<br> |
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<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br> |
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<br>Climate change is taking a toll throughout east Africa and significantly unpredictable weather is becoming commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in [lower rainfall](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price).<br> |
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<br>The repeating dry spells are damaging crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing millions of people in the Horn of Africa to the edge of extreme appetite.<br> |
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<br>The variety of Kenyans in [requirement](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) of [food aid](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) in March surged by almost 70 percent over a period of 8 months to 1.1 million, largely due to poor rains, according to federal government figures.<br> |
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<br>With nearly half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a severe shortage of rain, humanitarian firms are alerting of increased cravings in the months ahead.<br> |
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<br>"Only light rains is forecast through June ... and this is not anticipated to reduce drought in impacted locations of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its most current report.<br> |
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<br>"Well below-average crop production, poor animals body conditions, and increased local food prices are expected, which will lower poor families' access to food."<br> |
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<br>In Kitui's Kyuso location, the indications are already obvious.<br> |
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<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the prolonged dry spell.<br> |
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<br>[Villagers experience](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) trekking longer distances - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty jerry cans searching for water.<br> |
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<br>Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom are reliant on rain-fed farming, go over strategies to sell their goats to make ends satisfy 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 stressed.<br> |
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<br>A small but growing number are shedding their burden of dependence on the weather - and purchasing watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan launched more than 3 years back.<br> |
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<br>[Neighbouring farmers](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) band together to invest in 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 upon the size of the pump.<br> |
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<br>The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free [month-to-month](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) instalments until the total is paid off. They purchase the [biodiesel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) 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 pump enabled him to water a larger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of veggies including 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 earn 45,000 shillings," said Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo town, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br> |
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<br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br> |
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<br>Other farmers point to the plan as a major advantage in assisting enhance their output.<br> |
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<br>"The instalment scheme is great. Most farmers don't have the money and can not easily get a loan to purchase a pump like this," stated Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood beside his blue [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) pump.<br> |
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<br>"Having a scheme like this assists us a lot. Our yields are excellent which suggests we can settle the cost of the pump gradually in percentages, and have money left over to pay the school charges."<br> |
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<br>Zaynagro's effort is still in its early phases, with couple of farmers having paid back the full expense of the pumps.<br> |
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<br>But such [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) schemes are appealing due to the fact that they create a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) for profit, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br> |
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<br>The simplicity of the design - easy-to-use, robust technology, assured supply of [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - could [assist electrify](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) rural Africa, he said.<br> |
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<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices in the world. The key problem is checking ideas and techniques in a collaborative style," said Sanyal.<br> |
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<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the region need to try and gain from this experiment. Banks ought to begin try out loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors require to support experimentation."<br> |
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<br>($1 = 101.3000 Kenyan shillings) (Reporting by Nita Bhalla @nitabhalla, Editing by [Claire Cozens](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile). Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, [women's](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and environment change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br> |
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