Farmers lay grass grids in the desert around Kawak township of Moyu county, Hotan prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Jan 11, 2026. [Photo/Xinhua]
MOYU -- Desertification prevention-and-control, one of the top-priority missions in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region for many years, offers extra job opportunities for local farmers in the slack season.
Braving an air temperature below the freezing point, local farmers are now busy preparing reeds and laying sand grids. Apart from consolidating the ecological security line for the neighborhood, their contribution also brings in extra income for their own families.
A local farmer delivers newly harvested reeds in Zawa town of Moyu county, Hotan prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Jan 10, 2026. [Photo/Xinhua]
An aerial drone photo taken on Jan 11, 2026 shows a view of grass grids in the desert around Kawak township of Moyu county, Hotan prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [Photo/Xinhua]
A local farmer presses the newly harvested reeds into bundles in Moyu county, Hotan prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Jan 10, 2026. [Photo/Xinhua]
Farmers harvest reeds in Zawa town of Moyu county, Hotan prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Jan 10, 2026. [Photo/Xinhua]
An aerial drone photo taken on Jan 11, 2026 shows large engineering machines leveling sand dunes at Kawak township of Moyu county, Hotan prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [Photo/Xinhua]
