Ningxia has achieved a lot in sand control over the past few years. [Photo by Wang Zhiyong/China.org.cn]

As the Karimojong abandon their ancestral land and flock the city in search of greener pastures, their counterparts, the Hui people in the Ningxia Province of China, descend to the their gardens to cultivate.

As a result, the Hui live larger than the Karimojong, despite the fact that both groups live in semi-arid areas where agriculture is hard to practise.

In Ningixia Province, an average farmer earns $100 (about sh250,000) per month from farming. But farmers in Ningxia do not depend totally on farming, but work in the mushrooming agricultural industries to earn an extra buck.

Today, Ningxia is one of the lead exporters of sweet potatoes to the Middle East. Karamoja can also export something to the ready regional market.

Ningxia is also a giant producer of a delicious type of water melon, which the athletes enjoyed during the 2008 Olympic Games in China.

The farmers in Ningxia also export vegetables to Hong Kong. This is a sign that desertification is no longer a ticket to poverty.