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 thought it needs to be a joke when he was told he might water his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and effectively utilizing a pump sustained by cotton waste.

« Who could believe it’s possible to make a fuel better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn’t! » laughed Mathoka, crouching down to inspect 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 close-by tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. « Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has actually assisted me get greater yields, particularly throughout dry spell periods. »

Mathoka stated his incomes had 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 regular diesel.

The biodiesel he is using is not just excellent news for him – it is likewise excellent news for the world.

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

That suggests that as well as being cleaner and more affordable than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no extra land is needed 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 rewarding crops-for-fuel – worsening food lacks.

« Our biodiesel originates from squashing 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 business producing the biodiesel.

« We started producing and using 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 some of their buses – and also to regional farmers for irrigation. »

More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually up until now invested in biodiesel pumps for irrigation as part of an effort introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, stated Zavery.

DRY RIVER BEDS

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

The recurring droughts are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals – pressing countless people in the Horn of Africa to the brink of extreme hunger.

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

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

« Only light rains is anticipated through June … and this is not expected to relieve drought in affected locations of Kenya and Somalia, » said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its newest report.

« Well below-average crop production, poor animals body conditions, and increased regional food rates are prepared for, which will reduce bad homes’ access to food. »

In Kitui’s Kyuso area, the signs are currently .

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

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

Small-scale farmers, many of whom depend on rain-fed agriculture, talk about strategies to offer their goats to make ends meet if the harvest is bad.

BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL

But not all Kitui’s farmers are stressed.

A small however growing number are shedding their problem of reliance on the weather – and investing in irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro’s cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go scheme released more than 3 years earlier.

Neighbouring farmers unite to invest in the irrigation system – which consists of the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel – at costs beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.

The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free monthly instalments till the overall is paid off. They buy the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.

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 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 earn 45,000 shillings, » stated Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo town, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.

CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Other farmers point to the plan as a major advantage in helping improve their output.

« The instalment scheme is excellent. 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 next to his blue biodiesel pump.

« Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are good which indicates we can settle the expense of the pump gradually in small amounts, and have money left over to pay the school fees. »

Zaynagro’s initiative is still in its early stages, with few farmers having actually paid back the full expense of the pumps.

But such biofuel schemes are appealing due to the fact that they produce a circular economy by turning waste to biofuel for profit, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.

The simplicity of the design – easy-to-use, robust technology, guaranteed supply of biodiesel combined with a pay-as-you-go plan – could help electrify rural Africa, he said.

« There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options worldwide. The key issue is checking ideas and approaches in a collaborative fashion, » stated Sanyal.

« Other cotton ginning factories in the region must try and gain from this experiment. Banks should begin try out loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers need 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, women’s and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and environment change. Visit http://news.trust.org)