Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers To Fight Drought In Kenya

By Nita Bhalla


KITUI, Kenya, June 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka believed it should be a joke when he was told he might water his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, easily and efficiently using a pump sustained by cotton waste.


"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel much better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" chuckled Mathoka, bending down to examine the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri village in Kenya's southeast Kitui county.


"But it works," he stated, strolling over to a neighboring tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually assisted me get greater yields, especially throughout dry spell periods."


Mathoka said his incomes had actually doubled in the two years he has actually been pumping water using biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre cheaper than regular diesel.


The biodiesel he is utilizing is not simply excellent news for him - it is also excellent news for the planet.


Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are obtained from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and jatropha curcas, it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.


That means that along with being cleaner and more affordable than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no extra land is required to produce it.


From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate biofuel crops has actually driven forest communities off their land and pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more profitable crops-for-fuel - worsening food scarcities.


"Our biodiesel comes 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 business producing the biodiesel.


"We began 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 a few of their buses - and likewise to local farmers for watering."


More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually so far invested in biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an effort released by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.


DRY RIVER BEDS


Climate change is taking a toll throughout east Africa and increasingly erratic weather is ending up being commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rains.


The recurring droughts are damaging crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing countless individuals in the Horn of Africa to the verge of extreme hunger.


The variety of Kenyans in need of food help in March rose by nearly 70 percent over a duration of eight months to 1.1 million, mostly due to poor rains, according to government figures.


With practically half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a major shortage of rain, humanitarian firms are cautioning of increased hunger in the months ahead.


"Only light rainfall is anticipated through June ... and this is not expected to alleviate drought in impacted locations of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its most current report.


"Well below-average crop production, poor animals body conditions, and increased local food rates are expected, which will reduce poor households' access to food."


In Kitui's Kyuso area, the indications are currently evident.


Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the prolonged drought.


Villagers experience trekking longer ranges - in some cases more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans in search of water.


Small-scale farmers, most of whom are dependent on rain-fed farming, discuss plans to sell their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is poor.


BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL


But not all Kitui's farmers are stressed.


A small but growing number are shedding their concern of reliance on the weather - and investing in watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan released more than three years earlier.


Neighbouring farmers unite 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 on the size of the pump.


The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free monthly instalments until the total is settled. They purchase the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.


Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the biodiesel pump permitted him to irrigate a bigger part of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of veggies consisting of maize, tomatoes, spinach and sweet potatoes.


"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.


ECONOMY


Other farmers indicate the scheme as a significant benefit in helping improve their output.


"The instalment plan is great. Most farmers do not have the cash and can not easily get a loan to buy a pump like this," stated Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood beside his blue biodiesel pump.


"Having a scheme like this assists us a lot. Our yields are excellent which means we can pay off the expense of the pump slowly in percentages, and have cash left over to pay the school fees."


Zaynagro's effort is still in its early stages, with couple of farmers having paid back the full cost of the pumps.


But such biofuel schemes are appealing because they develop a circular economy by turning waste to biofuel for revenue, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.


The simpleness of the model - user friendly, robust innovation, ensured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go scheme - might assist energize rural Africa, he stated.


"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives in the world. The crucial problem is evaluating ideas and methods in a collaborative fashion," said Sanyal.


"Other cotton ginning factories in the region must try and find out from this experiment. Banks must begin experimenting with loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers require to support experimentation."


($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, residential or commercial property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)