[Poverty Alleviation Through a Lens] Poverty alleviation in the Kubuqi Desert seen through a photographer’s lens (1)

Farmers and herdsmen that lived scattered across the desert are brought together in newly constructed villages. Together, they build home inns and tourism related businesses, and find employment in environmental protection. Various employment opportunities enable their transition from environmental refugees to environmental riches, with the potential to earn hundreds of thousands of yuan annually. They are indeed becoming the “golden collars” of the desert. [Photo by George Steinmetz]