Local farmers combat desertification in NW China's Xinjiang

An aerial drone photo taken on Jan. 11, 2026 shows large engineering machines leveling sand dunes at Kawak Township of Moyu County, Hotan Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

Desertification prevention-and-control, one of the top-priority missions in Xinjiang for many years, offers extra job opportunities for local farmers in the slack season.

Braving an air temperature below the freezing point, local farmers are now busy preparing reeds and laying sand grids. Apart from consolidating the ecological security line for the neighborhood, their contribution also brings in extra income for their own families.