Portraits from Minqin
Minqin county in China’s Gansu province is sandwiched between two expanding deserts, the Tengger and the Badain Juran. Several metres of farmland in the region are lost to desertification every year. Land use changes, soil erosion and climate change are all contributing factors in the desertification of Minqin. Despite government efforts to halt the desert increase, once an area is desertified it is almost impossible to restore it to fertile land. This thin oasis of land hemmed in by the Tengri and Badrain Jaran has become a symbol of China's increasing struggle with water resources. Rose+Sjölander visited north-west China to meet the people battling the encroaching deserts.