Cotton Waste Biofuel Powers Farmers To Combat 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 he might irrigate his drought-hit crops more inexpensively, cleanly and effectively utilizing a pump sustained by cotton waste.


"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel 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.


"But it works," he stated, strolling over to a nearby tree and plucking a large green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has helped me get greater yields, particularly during dry spell periods."


Mathoka stated his incomes had actually 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 cheaper than routine diesel.


The biodiesel he is using is not just excellent news for him - it is also good news for the planet.


Unlike most biofuels, which are originated from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and jatropha, it is made from a byproduct of the cotton-making process.


That means that as well as being cleaner and more affordable than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels since no additional land is required to produce it.


From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate biofuel crops has actually driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pressed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more lucrative crops-for-fuel - exacerbating food lacks.


"Our biodiesel originates from crushing cotton seeds left over as waste after ginning - the process of separating the seeds from raw cotton," said Taher Zavery, handling director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based company 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 likewise to regional farmers for irrigation."


More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually so far bought biodiesel pumps for watering as part of an initiative introduced by Zaynagro in 2015, said Zavery.


DRY RIVER BEDS


Climate change is taking a toll across east Africa and progressively unpredictable weather condition is becoming commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, leading to lower rains.


The repeating dry spells are ruining crops and pastures and are starving animals - pressing millions of individuals in the Horn of Africa to the verge of extreme hunger.


The number of Kenyans in requirement of food aid in March rose by nearly 70 percent over a duration of eight months to 1.1 million, mainly due to poor rains, according to government figures.


With almost half Kenya's 47 counties stated to have a major scarcity of rain, humanitarian agencies are alerting of increased appetite in the months ahead.


"Only light rainfall is anticipated through June ... and this is not expected to reduce dry spell in affected locations of Kenya and Somalia," said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest report.


"Well below-average crop production, poor livestock body conditions, and increased regional food rates are expected, which will decrease poor families' access to food."


In Kitui's Kyuso location, the indications are already evident.


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


Villagers complain of travelling longer ranges - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys loaded with empty jerry cans looking for water.


Small-scale farmers, most of whom are reliant on rain-fed farming, talk about strategies to sell their goats to make ends fulfill if the harvest is poor.


BATTLING DROUGHT WITH BIODIESEL


But not all Kitui's farmers are worried.


A small but growing number are shedding their problem of dependence on the weather - and buying irrigation systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed biodiesel through a pay-as-you-go plan introduced more than three years back.


Neighbouring farmers unite to invest in the watering system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipes and 10 litres of biodiesel - at costs starting from 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.


The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free regular monthly instalments until 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, stated 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.


"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," said Alex Babu Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo town, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.


CIRCULAR ECONOMY


Other farmers indicate the scheme as a major benefit in assisting enhance 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," said Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his blue biodiesel pump.


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


Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early phases, with couple of farmers having repaid the full cost of the pumps.


But such biofuel schemes are promising since they produce a circular economy by turning waste to biofuel for earnings, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior associate for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.


The simpleness of the design - user friendly, robust technology, ensured supply of biodiesel combined with a pay-as-you-go plan - could assist energize rural Africa, he said.


"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy alternatives on the planet. The crucial concern is testing ideas and methods in a collective fashion," said Sanyal.


"Other cotton ginning factories in the area should try and gain from this experiment. Financial organizations should begin try out loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors 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, home rights and environment change. Visit http://news.trust.org)