Private firms help push back deserts and poverty
2018-06-22 10:12:58 China Daily Mo Hong'e
The central government invested in tree planting in Inner Mongolia autonomous region's Kubuqi Desert in 2012. (Photo/Xinhua)
Entrepreneurs in Inner Mongolia are playing a key role in combating desertification through economic development, as Hou Liqiang reports.
The Kubuqi Desert, 800 kilometers west of Beijing, used to be a significant source of the sandstorms that plagued northern China until about a decade ago. A strong breeze could carry sand to the Chinese capital overnight, but it was residents of the desert who suffered the most.
"When I was young, we had a lot of troubles with sand. Often, in just one night, sand would pile up outside our house, blocking the door," said Chen Ningbu, a 70-year-old resident of the desert in Ordos, Inner Mongolia autonomous region.
But by Sunday, which was World Day to Combat Desertification, the desert's vegetation coverage had risen to 53 percent, up from virtually zero three decades ago. Residents say it is even rare to see a sandstorm in the desert nowadays.
Meanwhile, at least 100,000 people have been lifted out of poverty as afforestation continues in the country's seventh-largest desert, which covers an area of 18,600 square kilometers.
What has happened in Kubuqi is emblematic of the private sector's efforts in combating desertification with economic development, which not only improves the environment for residents, but also contributes to the country's poverty relief campaign.
Other private sector companies have also joined the battle against desertification in other parts of Inner Mongolia.
In 1988, when Wang Wenbiao, head of a government-owned salt factory, started to plant trees in the desert, he did so for a simple reason: to prevent sand from burying his factory. He did not expect it would be the beginning of a greening of the desert that has lasted 30 years.
Though the factory only made just over 10 yuan in profit from each metric ton of salt at the time, Wang decided to allocate 5 yuan of that to tree planting.
He soon found, however, that many locals were still plagued by poverty despite the greening of the desert, which made him think about bringing in industries and starting his own business.
"If trees are planted without bringing economic benefits, lush mountains and lucid water will fail to be valuable assets," the 58-year-old entrepreneur said.
While the tree planting continued, Wang - now chairman of Elion Resources Group - started to develop a multi-industry model making use of local conditions.
Medicinal herbs such as licorice - a drought-resistant plant that has a cooling effect on the body and can help improve soil - have been planted, and his company has also helped develop local tourism, making full use of the desert's appeal. Given the abundant sunlight, solar power generation has also been brought in.
Before Elion launched its solar power project in the desert in late 2015, Zhao Rui, from Hanggin Nao'er village near the desert, made a living by farming 8,000 square meters of farmland, planting corn and wheat.
"Yields varied depending on the weather," the 40-year-old farmer said. "In good years, we could harvest 2.5 tons of grain a year. When the weather wasn't favorable, the harvest only stood at about 1 ton."
Since 2016, when Zhao and his mother moved into an 80-sq-m house built for them by the government, their life has changed dramatically due to Elion's development of the local industry.
Last year, Zhao and more than 50 others from registered poverty-stricken families signed contracts with Elion to maintain solar panels and care for the licorice planted between the panels.
His previous income from farming was barely enough to support his family, but he can now make 24,000 yuan ($3,700) a year.
"Previously, a small black-and-white TV set was the only home appliance we had," he said. "The set was given by a relative who changed to a color one more than 10 years ago. It stopped working after only a few years."
He said with his salary from Elion he had bought a 42-inch color TV, a fridge and a washing machine.
The company said it has solar panels with a capacity of 310 megawatts in operation and plans to expand that to 900 MW by next year.
Attracted by the business opportunities created by tourism development, 39-year-old Siren Babu and his wife, Yao Liping, returned to the desert in 2009 after working elsewhere for more than 10 years. The couple started a rural resort to serve tourists, offering accommodation and catering services. They also rent out more than 10 go-karts specially designed for the desert.
"When I was a little boy, we were isolated. It took three days and nights on a camel to reach the nearest town for shopping," he said.
The family now lives in the Kubuqi Desert park established by Elion in 2011 and can make more than 3,000 yuan a day during the peak summer tourist season. They have bought three cars for family use and, thanks to the road that has accompanied development, can reach the nearest town in a matter of minutes.
Wang said tourists visit the desert park about 200,000 times a year.
About 500 km west of Kubuqi, a group of entrepreneurs has turned to economic development after years of exploring remedies for desertification in Alxa League, a third of which is covered by three deserts: Badan Jaran, Tengger and Ulan Buh.
About 80 entrepreneurs set up the Society of Entrepreneurs and Ecology 14 years ago. One of its first initiatives was to try to stop residents from cutting down suosuo - a plant that can survive in the desert and help prevent desertification - by helping them shift to methane gas for heating and cooking, but it failed to achieve the desired result.
"The failure triggered heated discussion among the entrepreneurs on how to get residents to protect the trees," said Ai Luming, president of the society. "The group finally realized market means are needed to ensure that residents benefit."
Four years ago, the society launched a program that aims to plant 100 million suosuo in 10 years.
Ai said the payoff for residents is being able to grow Cistanche deserticola - a hardy, perennial, parasitic desert herb used in traditional Chinese medicine - which can be injected into the roots of the trees when they reach 3 years old.
He said the program has been a success, with about 37.5 million trees planted by the end of last year.
The society's SEE Foundation said Cistanche deserticola has been injected into more than 13,000 hectares of suosuo, and that residents can make an annual average of about 12,000 yuan per hectare.
Ai said the foundation is researching the herb to gather data on its medicinal value, and plans to bring in enterprises to process the herb into medicine or healthcare products. "As the yield of the herb continues to increase with the expansion of suosuo planting, the price of the herb may go down, which will affect residents' enthusiasm for tree planting," Ai said. "The introduction of the pharmaceutical industry is needed to give the herb more added value."
