AnindustrialparkforlicoriceplantgrowingatElionResourcesGrouponJuly11XINHUAThedesertoncemadethelifeofWangWenbiaomiserable,butnow,ithasmadehimandotherlocalsrich.
BetterknowninChinaasthe“SonoftheDesert,”WanglivesinInnerMongoliaAutonomousRegion’sKubuqiDesert,thecountry’sseventhlargestdesert,about800kmnorthofBeijing.Theconstantexpansionofthedeserthasforcedmanypeopletomigrate,whilethosewhostayedfacedpovertyandadversity.
“Sandandhungerhauntedmychildhood,”Wangsaid.“Sandwaseverywhere.WhenIate,Itastedsand.WhenIwenttobed,Isleptonsand.WhenIbreathed,Iinhaledsand.”
Foralongtime,hisdreamwastoleavethedesertandeatamealwithoutsandinit.
However,forthepast30years,aschairmanofElionResourcesGroup,aleadingChinesegreenenterprise,Wanghasdedicatedhimselftothebattleagainstdesertification.
Growingfromabusiness
However,Wangwasfirstmotivatedbyentrepreneurshipratherthanaltruism.
Asagovernmentclerkin1988,heventuredintobusinessandmanagedanearbankruptsaltworksontheedgeofthedesert.Despitethehighsaltreservesinalakebesidethesaltworks,heconstantlywor-riedaboutthecompany’soperationsasthedesertwasswallowingthelake.
Wangsetupaspecialfund,wherehesetaside5yuan($0.73)fromeachtonofsaltsoldforafforestation,anddispatchedonethirdofhisstafftoplanttreessurroundingthelake.Hisplanworked,outputincreasedandthesaltworksmanagedtomakeasmallprofitwithquickturnover.
Sincetherewasnoroadthroughthedeserttothenearesttrainstation,whichwas67kmaway,allthesalthadtobetransportedviaa350-kmroute.Hightransportcostsfurthersqueezedalreadythinprofitmargins.“Thesaltworkscouldnotbesustainedwithoutadirectroadout,”Wangsaid.
In1999,thankstogovernmenteffortstotamethedesert,a115-kmhighwaythroughthemiddleofthedesertopenedtotraffic,butwasquicklyswallowedupbysand.Wangrealizedthattodoanybusinessinthedesert,hefirstneededtodealwiththesand.
HerenamedhiscompanyElion,focusedoncurbingdesertificationanddevelopedabusinessmodeltogeneratebotheconomicandecologicalbenefits.
Thegame-changerinhisbusinessmodelwaslicoricefarmingbecauselicoricegrowswellinthedesertandisoneofthemostprofitableandwidelyusedmedicinalherbsintraditionalChinesemedicine.
Moreover,theplantworkswellincurbingdesertification.Thenodulebacterialivingintheplant’srootshaveanitrogenfixationeffectwhichincreasessoilfertility.Onelicoriceplantcanhelpreclaim0.1squaremeterofdesertland.
“Weinventedaplantingmethodwhereonelicoriceplantisabletoreclaim1squaremeterofthedesert,10timesmorethanbefore,”Wangsaid.
Elionencouragedlocalpeopletogrowlicorice,providingthemwithlicoriceseedlings,trainingandothersupport.Whentheyharvestedtheroots,Wang’scompanyboughtthematafairprice.
Throughthisbusinessmodel,thedesertturnedgreen,localresidentsmademoneyandElion’sdesertbusinessnowcoverssixsectorsincludinghealthcare,environmentalprotection,cleanenergy,farmingandlivestock,tourismandfeedprocessing.
WangWenbiao,ChairmanofElionResourcesGroup,speaksataceremonyinNairobi,Kenya,afterreceivingtheChampionsoftheEarthAwardfromtheUnitedNationsEnvironmentProgramonDecember5,2017XINHUA
AresearcherconductsseedtestingatanElionResourcesGrouplaboratoryinInnerMongoliaAutonomousRegiononJuly11XINHUAAnationwideeffort
Throughtheeffortsofmillionsofindividualsandenterprises,China’sfightagainstdesertificationhasmadesignificantprogress.Asshowninthelatestnationalsurveyin2015,thecountry’sdesertareashrankcomparedwithaprevioussurveyin2010.
Tocurbdesertification,anessentialpartofthecountry’songoingdriveforenvironmentallyfriendlydevelopment,thegovernmentbannedgrazingondegradedgrasslands,increasedfinancialinputandsteppeduplawenforcementinthesector.
“Wecouldnothavemadeitwithoutthegovernment’ssupportivepoliciessuchasthegrazingban,”Wangsaid.“Wehavegainedusefulexperiencesindealingwithsand,andwewouldliketoshareourexperiencewithothers.”
ElionnowoperatesafforestationprojectsinaridareassuchasXinjiangUygurAutonomousRegion,GansuProvinceandTibetAutonomousRegion.
InDecember2017,UNEPhonoredWangandfiveotherinspirationalenvironmentalleaderswiththeChampionsoftheEarthAward.
“Thechallengeliesinpromotingtechnologicalinnovationtoreduceafforestationcostsandboostefficiency,”Wangsaid.
Elionhasdevelopedtechnologytoplanttreesviadrones,takinglessthanaminutetodeployseedswithprotectivecoversina667-square-meterarea.ThecompanyisalsoworkingwiththeUK-basedBioCarbonEngineeringtodevelopathirdgenerationofdrones,whichwillimprovethesurvivalrateofseedsanddroneperformance,accordingtoWang.
“Notalldesertsshouldbetreated,andonlydesertificationcausedbyhumanactivitiescanbereversed.Greeningdesertsislikeamarathon.Aslongasthereisadesert,mymarathonwillnotcometoanend,”hesaid.
WangsaidhisdreamnowistointroduceElionoverseas,tocountriesalongtheChinaproposedSilkRoadEconomicBeltand21stCenturyMaritimeSilkRoadinparticular,wherethecompany’sbusinessmodelcanhelpothersinthefightagainstdesertification.
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