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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](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) believed it needs to be a joke when he was told he might water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, cleanly and effectively 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 in Ituri village in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.<br> |
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<br>"But it works," he stated, walking over to a neighboring tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually assisted me get higher yields, specifically during dry spell durations."<br> |
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<br>Mathoka stated his revenues had doubled in the two years he has been pumping water utilizing [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053), which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre more affordable than routine diesel.<br> |
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<br>The biodiesel he is utilizing is not simply great news for him - it is likewise good news for the planet.<br> |
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<br>Unlike a lot of biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making process.<br> |
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<br>That implies that along with being cleaner and cheaper than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no additional land is needed to produce it.<br> |
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<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) crops has actually driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - intensifying food shortages.<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," stated Taher Zavery, handling director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based [company producing](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) the [biodiesel](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).<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, offer it to the United Nations to run some of their buses - and likewise to local farmers for watering."<br> |
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<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now invested in biodiesel pumps for watering as part of an initiative introduced 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 across east Africa and significantly erratic weather is becoming commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rainfall.<br> |
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<br>The repeating dry spells are damaging crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing countless individuals in the Horn of Africa to the edge of extreme appetite.<br> |
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<br>The number of Kenyans in need of food aid in March surged by almost 70 percent over a duration of 8 months to 1.1 million, mainly due to bad rains, according to federal government figures.<br> |
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<br>With almost half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a major lack of rain, humanitarian firms are warning of increased hunger in the months ahead.<br> |
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<br>"Only light rainfall is anticipated through June ... and this is not anticipated to reduce drought in impacted locations of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its most current report.<br> |
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<br>"Well below-average crop production, bad livestock body conditions, and increased local food costs are prepared for, which will lower poor homes' access to food."<br> |
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<br>In [Kitui's](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) Kyuso location, the signs are already evident.<br> |
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<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the prolonged dry spell.<br> |
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<br>Villagers experience trekking longer distances - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans searching for water.<br> |
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<br>Small-scale farmers, the majority of whom depend on rain-fed farming, [discuss strategies](https://forest500.org/rankings/companies/mission-newenergy-limited) to sell their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is bad.<br> |
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<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH [BIODIESEL](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)<br> |
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<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are [stressed](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html).<br> |
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<br>A little but growing number are shedding their burden of dependence on the weather - and buying watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed [biodiesel](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) through a pay-as-you-go scheme introduced more than three years back.<br> |
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<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to buy the watering system - that includes the [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, [depending](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) upon the size of the pump.<br> |
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<br>The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free monthly instalments till the overall is settled. They buy the [biodiesel](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/ASX:MBT/Mission-NewEnergy-Ltd) to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 [shillings](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) a litre.<br> |
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<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the [biodiesel pump](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) permitted him to irrigate a bigger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of vegetables 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](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) 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 indicate the scheme as a significant advantage in assisting enhance their output.<br> |
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<br>"The instalment plan is good. Most farmers don't have the cash and can not quickly get a loan to purchase a pump like this," stated Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood beside his blue [biodiesel](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) pump.<br> |
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<br>"Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are good which implies we can pay off the expense of the pump slowly in little amounts, and have money left over to pay the school costs."<br> |
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<br>Zaynagro's effort is still in its early stages, with couple of farmers having paid back the complete expense of the pumps.<br> |
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<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) schemes are appealing because they develop a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://stocktwits.com/symbol/MNEL) for earnings, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean [Energy Finance](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) at the World Resources Institute.<br> |
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<br>The simplicity of the design - user friendly, robust innovation, assured supply of biodiesel combined with a pay-as-you-go plan - might assist energize rural Africa, he said.<br> |
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<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives in the world. The essential problem is testing ideas and approaches in a collective fashion," stated Sanyal.<br> |
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<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the region must attempt and gain from this experiment. Banks should begin explore 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. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, ladies's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and environment change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br> |
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