1 changed files with 40 additions and 0 deletions
@ -0,0 +1,40 @@ |
|||
<br>By Nita Bhalla<br> |
|||
<br>KITUI, Kenya, June 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka thought it should be a joke when he was told he might irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, cleanly and [efficiently utilizing](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) a pump sustained 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, bending down to check the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri town in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.<br> |
|||
<br>"But it works," he stated, [strolling](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) over to a close-by tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually helped me get greater yields, especially during dry spell durations."<br> |
|||
<br>Mathoka said his revenues had doubled in the 2 years he has been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre less expensive than regular diesel.<br> |
|||
<br>The [biodiesel](https://www.investing.com/equities/mission-newenergy-ltd-company-profile) he is using is not just great news for him - it is also for the world.<br> |
|||
<br>Unlike most biofuels, which are obtained from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha curcas](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.<br> |
|||
<br>That indicates that in addition to being cleaner and cheaper than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no extra land is needed to produce it.<br> |
|||
<br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) crops has actually [driven forest](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) [neighborhoods](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) off their land and [pushed farmers](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) to switch from crops-for-food to more profitable crops-for-fuel - worsening food scarcities.<br> |
|||
<br>"Our biodiesel originates from crushing 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.<br> |
|||
<br>"We began producing and utilizing 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 irrigation."<br> |
|||
<br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have up until now purchased [biodiesel](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) pumps for irrigation as part of an effort released by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.<br> |
|||
<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br> |
|||
<br>Climate modification is taking a toll across east Africa and [increasingly erratic](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) weather condition is becoming commonplace in [countries](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.<br> |
|||
<br>The repeating [droughts](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing countless people in the Horn of Africa to the verge of extreme cravings.<br> |
|||
<br>The variety of Kenyans in need of food aid in March surged by almost 70 percent over a duration of eight months to 1.1 million, mainly due to poor rains, according to government figures.<br> |
|||
<br>With nearly half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a severe lack of rain, humanitarian agencies are alerting of increased appetite in the months ahead.<br> |
|||
<br>"Only light rains is anticipated through June ... and this is not expected to relieve 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 regional food costs are prepared for, which will decrease poor households' access to food."<br> |
|||
<br>In [Kitui's Kyuso](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) location, the indications are already evident.<br> |
|||
<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the extended drought.<br> |
|||
<br>Villagers grumble of trekking longer ranges - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans searching for water.<br> |
|||
<br>Small-scale farmers, most of whom are reliant on rain-fed farming, discuss plans to sell their goats to make ends satisfy if the harvest is bad.<br> |
|||
<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL<br> |
|||
<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are worried.<br> |
|||
<br>A small but growing number are shedding their problem of dependence on the weather - and purchasing irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan released more than three years back.<br> |
|||
<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to purchase the irrigation system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of [biodiesel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) - at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.<br> |
|||
<br>The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free regular 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](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) at 80 [shillings](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) a litre.<br> |
|||
<br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, said the biodiesel pump allowed him to irrigate a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of veggies consisting of 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 make 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 benefit in helping enhance their output.<br> |
|||
<br>"The instalment plan is great. Most farmers do not 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 pump.<br> |
|||
<br>"Having a scheme like this assists us a lot. Our yields are great which suggests we can settle the cost of the pump gradually in little quantities, and have money 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 complete cost of the pumps.<br> |
|||
<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) plans are promising because they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) for profit, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean [Energy Finance](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) at the World Resources Institute.<br> |
|||
<br>The simplicity of the model - easy-to-use, robust technology, ensured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - might assist amaze rural Africa, he stated.<br> |
|||
<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives worldwide. The essential problem is evaluating ideas and techniques in a collective fashion," said Sanyal.<br> |
|||
<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the area need to try and discover from this experiment. Banks should begin 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](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy). Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br> |
|||
Loading…
Reference in new issue