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 <br>By Nita Bhalla<br>
 <br>KITUI, Kenya, June 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kenyan farmer Abel Mutie Mathoka believed it needs to be a joke when he was informed he might irrigate his drought-hit crops more cheaply, easily and effectively utilizing a pump sustained by [cotton waste](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048).<br>
 <br>"Who could think it's possible to make a fuel better than diesel from cotton seeds? I didn't!" laughed Mathoka, crouching down to check the watermelons on his 10-acre (four-hectare) shared plot in Ituri village in [Kenya's southeast](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/159352/mission-newenergy-debt-free-focused-on-biofuel-joint-venture-60797.html) Kitui county.<br>
 <br>"But it works," he stated, walking over to a neighboring tree and plucking a big green pawpaw. "Irrigation with this biodiesel water pump has assisted me get greater yields, specifically during dry spell durations."<br>
 <br>Mathoka said his incomes had actually doubled in the 2 years he has actually been pumping water utilizing biodiesel, which is both more efficient and 20 shillings ($0.20) per litre less expensive than regular diesel.<br>
 <br>The biodiesel he is utilizing is not simply good news for him - it is likewise good news for the planet.<br>
 <br>Unlike the majority of biofuels, which are derived from crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybean, rapeseed and [jatropha](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86), it is made from a by-product of the cotton-making procedure.<br>
 <br>That [suggests](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) that along with being cleaner and less expensive than regular fuel, it is more sustainable than other biofuels because no extra land is required to [produce](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) it.<br>
 <br>From Brazil to Indonesia, the rush to cultivate [biofuel](https://www.pinterest.com.au/missionnewenergy/) crops has driven forest neighborhoods off their land and pressed farmers to change from crops-for-food to more successful crops-for-fuel - intensifying food shortages.<br>
 <br>"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, managing director of Zaynagro Industries Ltd, the Kitui-based company producing the biodiesel.<br>
 <br>"We began producing and using 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 a few of their buses - and also to regional farmers for irrigation."<br>
 <br>More than 1,200 farmers in Kitui have actually so far invested in biodiesel pumps for watering as part of an effort released by [Zaynagro](https://www.businessnews.com.au/Company/Mission-NewEnergy) in 2015, said Zavery.<br>
 <br>DRY RIVER BEDS<br>
 <br>Climate modification is taking a toll throughout east Africa and significantly irregular weather is becoming commonplace in nations such as Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia, resulting in lower rains.<br>
 <br>The repeating dry spells are damaging crops and pastures and are starving animals - pushing millions of individuals in the Horn of Africa to the verge of extreme cravings.<br>
 <br>The variety of Kenyans in requirement of food help in March surged by practically 70 percent over a period of eight months to 1.1 million, largely due to bad rains, according to federal government figures.<br>
 <br>With nearly half Kenya's 47 counties declared to have a severe shortage of rain, [humanitarian](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/51278-86) agencies are cautioning of increased hunger in the months ahead.<br>
 <br>"Only light rains is anticipated through June ... and this is not expected to minimize drought in impacted areas of Kenya and Somalia," stated the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its newest report.<br>
 <br>"Well below-average crop production, bad livestock body conditions, and increased regional food rates are anticipated, which will lower poor homes' access to food."<br>
 <br>In Kitui's Kyuso location, the signs are currently apparent.<br>
 <br>Rivers, water pans and dams are drying up as a result of the prolonged dry spell.<br>
 <br>Villagers experience [travelling](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) longer distances - often more than 10 km (6 miles) with their donkeys laden with empty jerry cans in search of water.<br>
 <br>Small-scale farmers, many of whom depend on rain-fed agriculture, discuss plans to offer their goats to make ends satisfy if the harvest is poor.<br>
 <br> WITH BIODIESEL<br>
 <br>But not all [Kitui's farmers](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) are worried.<br>
 <br>A little however growing number are shedding their burden of reliance on the weather condition - and purchasing watering systems powered by Zaynagro's cotton seed [biodiesel](https://www.zoominfo.com/c/mission-newenergy/346542889) through a pay-as-you-go plan introduced more than 3 years earlier.<br>
 <br>Neighbouring farmers band together to buy the watering system - that includes the biodiesel pump, 12 metres of pipelines and 10 litres of biodiesel - at expenses beginning with 32,000 shillings, depending upon the size of the pump.<br>
 <br>The farmers make an initial payment, then pay interest-free regular monthly instalments till the total is settled. They purchase the biodiesel to run the pumps from Zaynagro at 80 shillings a litre.<br>
 <br>Farmer Alex Babu Kitheka, 39, stated the biodiesel pump enabled him to irrigate a larger portion of his one-acre plot, where he grows a variety of vegetables including maize, tomatoes, spinach and sweet potatoes.<br>
 <br>"With a diesel pump, maize yields were lower and I would get 15,000 shillings in three months. With the [biodiesel](https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0cqd_rb) pump, I can make 45,000 shillings," said [Alex Babu](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) Kitheka, standing near his plot in Ilangilo village, 40 km (25 miles) from Kitui town.<br>
 <br>CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br>
 <br>Other farmers indicate the scheme as a significant benefit in helping improve their output.<br>
 <br>"The instalment plan is great. Most farmers don't have the cash and can not quickly get a loan to buy a pump like this," stated Maurice Kitheka Munyoki, 41, as he stood next to his blue [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) pump.<br>
 <br>"Having a plan like this assists us a lot. Our yields are great which means we can pay off the cost of the pump slowly in percentages, and have money left over to pay the school costs."<br>
 <br>Zaynagro's initiative is still in its early stages, with few farmers having actually repaid the full cost of the pumps.<br>
 <br>But such [biofuel](https://www.energy-xprt.com/companies/mission-newenergy-limited-36048) schemes are promising due to the fact that they create a [circular economy](https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/shares/asx-mbt/mission-newenergy-limited/share-price) by turning waste to [biofuel](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1463471/000165495419013063/R31.htm) for earnings, stated Sanjoy Sanyal, senior partner for Clean Energy Finance at the World Resources Institute.<br>
 <br>The simpleness of the [model -](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MISSION-NEWENERGY-LIMITED-178469/company/) user friendly, robust innovation, assured supply of [biodiesel](https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/felda-global-buys-missions-kuantan-port-plant-for-11-5-million-9053) [integrated](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/ipos/overview?dealId=804419-65608) with a pay-as-you-go plan - could help amaze rural Africa, he stated.<br>
 <br>"There is a mosaic of sustainable energy choices in the world. The key concern is evaluating ideas and approaches in a collaborative style," said Sanyal.<br>
 <br>"Other cotton ginning factories in the region must attempt and learn from this experiment. Financial institutions must start try out loans to groups of farmers. International donors and financiers need to support experimentation."<br>
 <br>($1 = 101.3000 Kenyan shillings) (Reporting by [Nita Bhalla](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mission-newenergy) @nitabhalla, Editing by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, ladies's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, home rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)<br>