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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 should be a joke when he was told he might water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, cleanly and efficiently utilizing a [pump fuelled](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) by cotton waste.<br> |
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<br>"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" chuckled Mathoka, bending down to [examine](https://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri town 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 large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has assisted me get higher yields, specifically throughout drought periods."<br> |
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<br>Mathoka stated his incomes had doubled in the two years he has actually been [pumping water](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159346/mission-newenergy-delivers-maiden-biodiesel-production-to-global-oil-major-24476.html) using biodiesel, which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per [litre cheaper](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) than routine diesel.<br> |
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<br>The biodiesel he is using is not simply excellent news for him - it is also good news for the planet.<br> |
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<br>Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are derived 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 of the [cotton-making procedure](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>That suggests that as well as being cleaner and more affordable than regular 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://www.zonebourse.com/cours/action/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-8557641/) crops has driven forest communities off their land and pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - intensifying food lacks.<br> |
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<br>"Our [biodiesel](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) comes from crushing 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 business producing the biodiesel.<br> |
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<br>"We started 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 some 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 so far purchased biodiesel pumps for watering as part of an initiative launched by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.<br> |
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<br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br> |
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<br>Climate [modification](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) is taking a toll throughout east Africa and progressively unpredictable weather condition is ending up being commonplace in countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rainfall.<br> |
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<br>The repeating droughts are damaging crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing countless people in the Horn of Africa to the brink of severe appetite.<br> |
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<br>The number of Kenyans in requirement of food help in March surged by almost 70 percent over a duration of eight months to 1.1 million, mostly due to bad rains, according to federal government figures.<br> |
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<br>With nearly half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a serious shortage of rain, humanitarian companies are [alerting](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) of in the months ahead.<br> |
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<br>"Only light rainfall is anticipated through June ... and this is not expected to ease drought in affected 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, poor 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 Kyuso](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) area, the indications are already evident.<br> |
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<br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as an outcome of the prolonged drought.<br> |
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<br>Villagers suffer trekking longer distances - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty jerry [cans searching](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) for water.<br> |
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<br>Small-scale farmers, most of whom are reliant on [rain-fed](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) agriculture, talk about plans to sell their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is bad.<br> |
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<br>BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL<br> |
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<br>But not all Kitui's farmers are fretted.<br> |
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<br>A little however growing number are shedding their concern of reliance on the weather condition - and purchasing watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go scheme launched more than 3 years back.<br> |
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<br>Neighbouring farmers unite to purchase the watering system - which consists of 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> |
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<br>The farmers make a preliminary payment, then pay interest-free [month-to-month](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/MNELF:US) instalments until the overall 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, stated the biodiesel pump allowed him to water a larger portion 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 three months. With the [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pump, I can earn 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](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) ECONOMY<br> |
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<br>Other farmers indicate the scheme as a major benefit 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 easily get a loan to purchase a pump like this," stated Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his blue biodiesel pump.<br> |
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<br>"Having a scheme like this assists us a lot. Our yields are great which implies we can pay off the expense of the pump gradually in percentages, and have money left over to pay the school fees."<br> |
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<br>Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early phases, with couple of farmers having repaid the complete expense of the pumps.<br> |
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<br>But such [biofuel](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) plans are promising due to the fact that they produce a circular economy by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) for profit, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy [Finance](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) at the World Resources Institute.<br> |
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<br>The simplicity of the model - easy-to-use, robust innovation, assured supply of [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) integrated with a pay-as-you-go plan - might help amaze rural Africa, he said.<br> |
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<br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options in the world. The essential issue is checking concepts and techniques in a collaborative style," said Sanyal.<br> |
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<br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the region should attempt and gain from this experiment. Banks ought to start explore loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors 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](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, ladies's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, residential or commercial property rights and environment modification. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br> |
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