Gobi desert agriculture: increasing incomes and improving environment in Yumen city

Staff pack and load freshly harvested melons onto a truck at a modern polytunnel farm in Huahai town, Yumen city, Gansu province. (Photo by China Gansu Net)

From sand to sustenance: a new agricultural frontier in Gansu province

Located in northwest China and covering around 450,000 sq. km in total, Gansu province contains over 67,000 sq. km of Gobi desert and 120,000 sq. km of sandy land, which makes agriculture especially challenging in many parts of the area. Harsh climatic conditions and unstable crop yields have long plagued the farmers who live there, whose operations depend heavily on rivers, oases, and groundwater for irrigation.

In 2008, Yumen city, which is one of the administrative areas that lies within the stretch of the Gobi that runs through Gansu, launched its first polytunnel project – an undertaking spanning 3.33 ha in Daijiatan village – and has been steadily consolidating infrastructure and resources for the purpose of expanding its agricultural footprint ever since.

The sun-drenched edge of the Badain Jaran – a desert that spans parts of Ningxia and Inner Mongolia in addition to Gansu, is located near the Gobi, and is China’s third largest – that runs through Yumen city’s Huahai town receives less than 80 mm of rainfall per year and appears inhospitable. Taking advantage of the more than 3,300 hours of sunlight that it receives annually and daily temperature swings of over 15℃, the area has become fertile ground for modern agriculture, however. A stunning contrast now exists – vast stretches of wind-blown sand and gravel lie on one side, while rows of polytunnels full of lush greenery and ripe produce can be found on the other.

The Gansu government eventually launched a special Gobi agriculture initiative in 2017, with the goal of developing 20,000 ha of farmland in the swath of the desert that lies in the province’s borders in controlled environments in subsequent years, as well.  Numerous rows of polytunnels have been built and the possibilities of desert farming have been redefined in cities such as Zhangye, which is located in central Gansu, and Jiuquan, which is located in the northwest part of the province.

As of late June 2025, Yumen city boasts a vibrant network of polytunnel farms in which melons, Chinese chives, and even exotic crops like the pepino – the perennial, warm-weather fruit that originated in Peru, has gradually spread around the world, and tastes like a mix of honeydew and cucumber – are grown.

Smart farming: Innovation drives efficiency

Technology has been playing a pivotal role in Yumen city’s Gobi agriculture boom. Soilless cultivation systems that are used with certain crops, precision drip irrigation, and smart climate control systems can be found inside the polytunnels, which enables growers to remotely monitor and optimize aspects such as temperature, humidity, and nutrient levels with accuracy via a special mobile app.

Collaborations with various agricultural research institutions have resulted in eight modern technologies and 59 new crop varieties being introduced in Yumen city as of late June 2025. Local farmers have also received training at a facility that was established by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Jiuquan government known as the Gobi Agriculture Technology Training Center more than 580 times in total as of late June 2025. The innovative efforts have helped increase yields and improve crop quality.

Innovative crop rotations boost land efficiency

Huahai Town has implemented a crop rotation model involving honeydew melons and broccoli in order to maximize land use in its polytunnels. Increasing polytunnel utilization rates by 40%, the approach makes it possible to engage in continuous agricultural production throughout the year, with every hectare now generating more than 300,000 yuan (US$41,940) in additional annual revenue on average.

As of late June 2025, Huahai produces over 60,000 metric tons of melons each year, contributing 240 million yuan (US$33.55 million) in total output value. The fragrant, high-quality melons are distributed to more than 20 provincial-level administrative areas throughout China.

A lush carpet of crops thrives inside a polytunnel in Huahai town, Yumen city. Modern agricultural technology makes it possible to engage in high-efficiency farming amid the harsh desert conditions that exist in the region. (Photo by China Gansu Net)

From Gobi desert to destinations throughout China: building a vertically integrated agricultural cooperative

A vertically integrated farm that includes organic fertilizer factories, cultivation bases, smart sorting facilities, and packaging facilities has formed on a 533-ha swath of land located at a special agricultural demonstration site known as the Huahai Town Dachanghe Agricultural Development Zone. The cooperative that operates the 533-ha farm’s flagship brand, Huahai Yulong, sells honeydew melons and other types of melons online, with premium melons fetching up to 30 yuan (US$4.19) per kg – six to seven times the price of standard ones.

A QR code that helps facilitate traceability is attached to every melon and displays the complete history of the fruit when scanned with a smartphone or tablet. Local livestream host and agri-influencer Wei Yao promotes Yumen city’s melons online, backed by a logistics center that dispatches more than 10 refrigerated trucks every day. Cold-chain logistics make it possible for melons grown in the Gobi desert to reach shelves in major cities in China, such as Beijing and Shanghai, within 60 hours.

Greening the desert: a boon to both the economy and the environment

Yumen city’s desert farming endeavors have also been an ecological triumph in addition to an economic one. Polytunnel construction reduces surface water evaporation, drip irrigation conserves resources, and the crops that are farmed improve soil structure and reduce wind erosion as they grow. Once a windswept wasteland, the city is gradually becoming greener and more fertile.

With 4,460 ha of land being cultivated and annual agricultural output value exceeding 350 million yuan (US$48.93 million), Yumen city’s Gobi agriculture endeavors have become an important way for the farmers who live there to increase their incomes and constitute a significant model for ecological regeneration.