"Growing jujube trees in our local desert means better and steadier income," said Hekem Sidik, a farmer from Bageqi Village in Xinjiang's Lop County, during a phone interview on June 11, 2025. After working away from home for over a decade, he returned when Henan Quanlin Ecological Agriculture Development Co., Ltd. offered jujube planting jobs in his village. Now he earns 150 yuan daily under their employment contract.

Gu Quanlin, the company's chairman, explained their operations, "We've planted 4,000 mu (about 267 hectares) of 'Zhongzao No.1' jujubes in Lop County, and recently expanded with a 20,000 mu (1,333 hectares) base in Moyu County. At peak times, our six million jujube trees contribute to the employment of over 2,000 local villagers, with minimum yearly earnings of 20,000 yuan. Skilled tractor operators can make 3,000-4,000 yuan monthly."

Recent visits to desert-edge counties including Lop County, Qira County, Yutian County, Minfeng County, and Qiemo County, revealed how desert control projects are creating local job opportunities as border industries develop along the Taklimakan Desert.

Growing job opportunities in the desert

"I planted 2,000 saplings today and made 150 yuan," said Resalat Ahmat, a farmer from Xinjiang's Qiemo County, at a local mulberry plantation in Zhagunluke Village, Tuogelakeleke Township, Qiemo County. Her village earns steady income through planting trees, medicinal herbs, and making straw checkerboards, with households typically making tens of thousands yuan yearly - some even exceeding 100,000 yuan(about 13,937 U.S. dollars), surpassing big-city wages.

In Qiemo County's vast 5,000-mu (about 333 hectares) plantation, hundreds of villagers were planting mulberry saplings on the sand dunes. Paruk Alim, village committee director of Zhagunluke Village, said there are 50-60 villagers daily during May planting the mulberry saplings, with efficient workers planting over 4,000 saplings daily. The village has contracts with companies needing to plant or replenish apricot trees, jujube trees, and mulberry trees. Villagers can be mobilized immediately and receive same-day payment without delays, making them willing participants.

On the afternoon of May 22, the head of the Qiemo Branch of the Tangshan Cultural Tourism Group explained, "Although desert-planting robots are dozens of times more efficient than manual planting, manual planting yields higher survival rates for mulberry trees, so we prefer hiring local villagers."

At the Yutian County Tiandong Comprehensive Sand Control Demonstration Zone, Jiang Donghui, deputy director of the Yutian County Forestry and Grassland Bureau, showed reporters how to harvest Cistanche deserticola in the desert. "Villagers can earn more by digging up Cistanche," he explained.

Yutian County produces 40,000 tons of Cistanche deserticola each year, making up 85 percent of the country's total output. The county now has 11 cooperatives dedicated to Cistanche and rose cultivation, creating jobs for more than 10,000 local villagers with an average monthly income exceeding 3,000 yuan per person.

Growing business opportunities in the desert

Residents near the Taklimakan Desert no longer have to travel far for work. During planting and harvest seasons, they can earn at least 100 to 200 yuan a day. Some have taken it a step further by tapping into the desert's emerging opportunities, launching their own businesses for even higher incomes.

"Sandstorms used to be a big problem in our village. Working away from home barely brought in any money, and we couldn't look after our families. In 2009, I decided to try leasing eight mu (one mu equals about 0.067 hectares) of land to grow Cistanche. The returns were good, so I expanded. Now, I employ dozens of villagers to help," said Aziz Matrozi from Tawuhazi Village, Aoyituogelake Township. "The village waived leasing fees for the first two years. We only started paying the collective in the third year after seeing profits. Now, we farm nearly 1,000 mu and even run a cooperative."

At the Qixiannv Sand Control Demonstration Project in Arele Township, Cai Xianfu, the township's Party secretary, shared that over 230 large-scale growers have leased 29,000 mu (about 1,934 hectares) of sandy land. This initiative has provided steady jobs for more than 100 villagers and boosted the village collective's income by over three million yuan(about 418,168 U.S. dollars).

In Xinjiang, local governments in areas along the Taklimakan Desert, including Yutian County, have implemented a "government-led, enterprise-supported, and farmer-contracted" approach to encourage villagers to join desert control and planting initiatives. They provide technical assistance, cover initial trial costs to minimize risks for participants, and take care of infrastructure like water, electricity, and roads. Gu Quanlin explained, "We follow guidelines by supplying seedlings and technical support, while also handling procurement and sales to ensure villagers get fair prices for their jujubes."

Better policies let villagers earn steadily at home

"The government has laid the groundwork, such as constructing roads, ensuring power and water supplies. Contracted villagers only need to prepare the land and install drip irrigation to grow desert-tolerant plants like red willow, saxaul, jujubes, and oleasters," said Abbas Aysa, director of Qiemo Desertification Control Station. "From seedling selection, technology, and risk management to sales and profits, villagers are on a worry-free path to prosperity through desert control."

Local governments actively promote these projects, attracting reputable businesses with the economic potential of desert management. "After visiting the site, we found strong government backing, easy access to labor, and straightforward contracts with villages," shared Ma Xiaobin, project manager at Xinjiang Tamoxin Environmental Management Engineering Co., Ltd., on May 21, 2025. "In the past two years, we've planted 800,000 oleaster, apricot, peach, and prune trees in Qiemo County, achieving a 60-70 percent survival rate last year."

To strengthen desertification control along the Taklimakan Desert's edges, Xinjiang implemented nine targeted measures last year covering funding, water, and land use. These policies effectively channel resources and technology into sand prevention efforts. Data shows that in Hotan Prefecture, 8,277 households have contracted 412,000 mu (about 27,480.4 hectares) of desert land, with 14 cooperatives and 33 companies joining the initiative.

"Businesses plant first, and the county later subsidizes them. The desert holds surprising opportunities," explained Jia Lei, deputy head of Minfeng County's Forestry and Grassland Bureau, as he inspected straw checkerboards in the sand. He showed reporters dried reeds: "These upgraded checkerboards fix sand remarkably well and boosted a reed-harvesting industry. Villagers collect wild reeds in winter for local firms, employing over 3,000 people. One can earn 8,000 yuan per winter, raising the county's average income by 600 yuan for its 40,000 residents."

Xinjiang's desert control model keeps pace with the times, turning policies into tangible gains. Whether villagers seek employment or start businesses near their homes, they no longer face uncertainties. Abdureheman Mamat, a villager from Togerigazi Township in Yutian County, voiced the sentiments of many, "The government has provided us with favorable policies. All we need to do is follow the planting requirements to earn a stable income. In the past, we always thought about leaving to find work elsewhere. Now, we realize there's money to be made right here in the desert, so we're happy to earn a living close to home."

(Source: Workers' Daily, Reporter: Wang Dongmei)