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Violent sandstorms in Fengning county, on the southeastern edge of the Gobi Desert, about a 4 hour drive north of Beijing, dumped entire dunes into the once-fertile county valley. Due to its geographic proximity, the dust storms generated from this region plague northern China and Beijing. The government responded with huge "greening" campaigns, Premier Zhu Rongji place a symbolic stone in the valley to claim where the desertification will be stopped. The so-called new stand storm project was launched in 2000 by Toyota Automobile Company, providing $362,000 as an initial investment to reclaim the desert in Fengning County, and the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) matched its efforts with the technology in planting trees, grass and bushes to stem the invasion of dust and sandstorms. According to CAS, about 3,500 square kilometers of land are lost to desert each year in China. The five year project is just over now, and tall aspen, wild cherry and Chinese pine trees are forming a tree belt that should function as a wind breaker. Under the project, local forestry authorities planted 10 square kilometers of drought-resistant trees and bushes, such as aspen and Chinese pine. In these five years according the project the farmers had followed a lot of limitation about growing up animals, goats first, and use of the lands. In the other hand the farmers had gotten an income. Farmers are worry now, although the valley is more green than before, the income is over and a lot of land is planted by tree, so no more room to be cultivated. And a lot of them are starting to growing up goats again. *** Local Caption *** Ms. Hao works his field surrounded by sands.
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Alessandro Digaetano
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China Eco Environment
Violent sandstorms in Fengning county, on the southeastern edge of the Gobi Desert, about a 4 hour drive north of Beijing, dumped entire dunes into the once-fertile county valley. Due to its geographic proximity, the dust storms generated from this region plague northern China and Beijing. The government responded with huge "greening" campaigns, Premier Zhu Rongji place a symbolic stone in the valley to claim where the desertification will be stopped. The so-called new stand storm project was launched in 2000 by Toyota Automobile Company, providing $362,000 as an initial investment to reclaim the desert in Fengning County, and the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) matched its efforts with the technology in planting trees, grass and bushes to stem the invasion of dust and sandstorms. According to CAS, about 3,500 square kilometers of land are lost to desert each year in China. The five year project is just over now, and tall aspen, wild cherry and Chinese pine trees are forming a tree belt that should function as a wind breaker. Under the project, local forestry authorities planted 10 square kilometers of drought-resistant trees and bushes, such as aspen and Chinese pine. In these five years according the project the farmers had followed a lot of limitation about growing up animals, goats first, and use of the lands. In the other hand the farmers had gotten an income. Farmers are worry now, although the valley is more green than before, the income is over and a lot of land is planted by tree, so no more room to be cultivated. And a lot of them are starting to growing up goats again. *** Local Caption *** Ms. Hao works his field surrounded by sands.