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 thought it needs to be a joke when he was informed he might irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and efficiently utilizing 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! » laughed Mathoka, bending down to examine 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 neighboring tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. « Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has assisted me get greater yields, especially throughout dry spell periods. »

Mathoka said his incomes had doubled in the 2 years he has actually been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more effective and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre less expensive than routine diesel.

The biodiesel he is utilizing is not just good news for him – it is likewise great news for the planet.

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

That suggests that in addition to being cleaner and less expensive than routine fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels due to the fact that no extra land is required to produce it.

From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate biofuel crops has driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pushed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more lucrative crops-for-fuel – intensifying 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 company producing the biodiesel.

« We began 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 likewise to local farmers for watering. »

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

DRY RIVER BEDS

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

The repeating dry spells are damaging crops and pastures and are starving animals – pushing countless people in the Horn of Africa to the verge of severe appetite.

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

With almost half Kenya’s 47 counties declared to have a serious scarcity of rain, humanitarian companies are alerting of increased appetite in the months ahead.

« Only light rainfall is anticipated through June … and this is not expected to relieve dry spell in impacted locations of Kenya and Somalia, » said the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its most current report.

« Well below-average crop production, bad livestock body conditions, and increased regional food rates are anticipated, which will reduce bad 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 extended dry spell.

Villagers grumble of travelling longer distances – sometimes more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys packed with empty jerry cans searching for water.

Small-scale farmers, many of whom depend on rain-fed agriculture, discuss 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 worried.

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

Neighbouring farmers band together to purchase the irrigation system – which consists of the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel – at expenses starting from 32,000 shillings, depending on the size of the pump.

The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free month-to-month 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, said the biodiesel pump allowed him to irrigate a bigger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a range of of maize, tomatoes, spinach and sweet potatoes.

« With a diesel pump, maize yields were lower and I would get 15,000 shillings in three 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.

CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Other farmers point to the scheme as a significant advantage in helping enhance their output.

« The instalment plan is good. Most farmers do not have the cash and can not easily get a loan to purchase a pump like this, » said Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood beside his blue biodiesel pump.

« Having a scheme like this helps us a lot. Our yields are great which suggests we can pay off the cost of the pump gradually in small amounts, and have cash left over to pay the school fees. »

Zaynagro’s initiative is still in its early phases, with few farmers having actually paid back the complete cost of the pumps.

But such biofuel plans are appealing since they create a circular economy by turning waste to biofuel for earnings, said Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.

The simplicity of the model – easy-to-use, robust technology, assured supply of biodiesel integrated with a pay-as-you-go scheme – might help amaze rural Africa, he stated.

« There is a mosaic of sustainable energy options in the world. The essential concern is evaluating concepts and approaches in a collaborative fashion, » stated Sanyal.

« Other cotton ginning factories in the region should attempt and gain from this experiment. Banks need to begin experimenting with loans to groups of farmers. International donors and investors 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)