A biker rides through the dunes on the outskirts of the Badain Jaran desert. Water scarcity, increasing drought and poorly managed irrigation systems have all caused the water table to drop. Deadly sandstorms from the Gobi desert exacerbate the problems local farmers face.
Wang Yuhong takes a break from harvesting cotton. During the past ten years, many villages have been abandoned in the northern part of Minqin as the desert boundaries increase. Around the city of Wuwei there are now several places built specifically for desertification refugees.
Mrs Rose Ma from the village Xindi outside Wuwei is harvesting turnips. "I have never seen a foreigner before! I am glad you came by", she tells our translator.
A biker rides through the dunes on the outskirts of the Badain Jaran desert. Water scarcity, increasing drought and poorly managed irrigation systems have all caused the water table to drop. Deadly sandstorms from the Gobi desert exacerbate the problems local farmers face.
Portraits from Minqin
Minqin county in China’s Gansu province is sandwiched between two expanding deserts, the Tengger and the Badain Juran. Several metres of farmland in the region are lost to desertification every year. Land use changes, soil erosion and climate change are all contributing factors in the desertification of Minqin. Despite government efforts to halt the desert increase, once an area is desertified it is almost impossible to restore it to fertile land. This thin oasis of land hemmed in by the Tengri and Badrain Jaran has become a symbol of China's increasing struggle with water resources. Rose+Sjölander visited north-west China to meet the people battling the encroaching deserts.
