Villagers in Linze county, Zhangye city in Northwest China's Gansu province, use nylon mesh on Thursday to press desert sand into a terrace before planting it with drought resistant plants. The farming method has been proven effective and the sand plants, such as haloxylon ammodendron and cistanche salsa, have brought economic benefits to the area. The county has turned 25,333 hectares of desert into terraces using this method, of which 14,666 hectares have been planted. [Photo/Xinhua]

New economic model breathes life into desert control

Holding back the sands of time