In northern China's Inner Mongolia, fruit and vegetable production has expanded within the Engebei Ecological Demonstration Zone, located on the edge of the Kubuqi Desert. Crops including bananas, papayas, and dragon fruit are grown under greenhouse structures despite winter temperatures that can drop below -30°C.
More than 300 varieties of fruit and vegetables are cultivated in the zone. Produce is marketed to destinations including Shenzhen and Hong Kong. According to Liu Xueqin, an agriculture technician at Engebei, the project tested whether tropical plants could survive the region's winters using sunlight, plastic coverings, and thermal insulation quilts. "We wanted to test whether tropical plants could survive the harsh winters of northwest China, where temperatures can drop below -30°C, using only sunlight, plastic coverings, and thermal insulation quilts. The results have been very good," she said.
The project forms part of China's wider efforts to address desertification in its northern regions. Inner Mongolia has been central to these programs due to historic land degradation linked to climate conditions and land use.
The Kubuqi Desert spans more than 14,000 square kilometres. Forestry authorities state that the objective is not to eliminate deserts entirely but to stabilise them. Measures include sand barriers, shrub planting, and grass seeding.
Scientific research has shaped planting techniques over time. In the early years of restoration, survival rates of saplings were low, in some areas around 30 per cent. Researchers developed methods such as deep planting with water-injection tools to improve establishment rates. Survival rates in some areas have since increased to around 85 per cent.
Wang Haibing of Inner Mongolia Agricultural University noted the role of wind erosion in earlier failures. "After spring plowing, when the crops have grown to this height, if a sandstorm hits – just a single one – at least a third of the farmland will have its seedlings completely destroyed, beaten into mud and sand," he said.
Since 2011, more than 150 billion yuan, equivalent to about US$21 billion, has been allocated to programs addressing desertification.
Forest coverage in northern China has increased from 5 per cent in the 1970s to 14 per cent today, according to authorities. Programs under the Three-North Shelterbelt framework are scheduled to continue until 2050, with ongoing emphasis on research, infrastructure, and local implementation.
Source: CNA
