Xinjiang Youth Turn Saline Land into Fruit Farms

In Ayimake Village, nestled in the Hotan Prefecture of southern Xinjiang, banana trees now brush against greenhouse ceilings and cherry branches bend under the weight of ripe fruit—on land long dismissed as too salty for anything but cotton and wheat. The transformation is the result of a research support project led by Wang Ping, a senior engineer at the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), who has spent over a decade helping local farmers master modern agricultural techniques.

From Salt to Sweet: A Scientific Breakthrough

Hotan sits on the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, where strong sunlight and scarce rainfall have left soils heavily salinized. Moyu County, where Ayimake Village is located, was once a national-level impoverished county whose farmers relied almost exclusively on cotton and wheat cultivation. Xinhua News reports that the project now operates 18 trial and demonstration greenhouses growing 10 varieties and 50 cultivars of specialty fruit trees, including bananas, pineapples, papayas, bird’s nest fruit, and cherries.

The team’s approach combines “southern fruits grown in the north” with off-season cultivation, capitalizing on Xinjiang’s large day-night temperature differences and abundant sunlight, which favor sugar accumulation. “The fruits we grow are even sweeter and of better quality than those from their original regions,” Wang Ping told Xinhua. “And with on-site picking and direct sales, ripeness and freshness are our biggest advantages.”

Overcoming the saline soil required ingenuity. Wang developed a low-cost method using livestock manure, walnut shells, and sprinkler irrigation to create cultivation ridges with lower salinity and better fertility. The technique recycles local agricultural waste—the village has extensive walnut orchards—while improving soil organic matter. This year, cherries generated 90,000 yuan through a combination of pick-your-own and retail sales, with revenue expected to double once greenhouses reach full production.

A New Generation of Farmers

Beyond the agricultural innovation, the project’s most significant impact may be in the people it has trained. The village’s first project participant, Abulai Aizezi·Maimaitijiang, joined with only a junior high school education after working in a factory for 2,000 yuan per month. “At first, I didn’t even know what photosynthesis was,” he admitted. Today, he manages greenhouses and, in January 2026, established an agricultural cooperative with four university graduates, leasing 10 greenhouses to grow three grape varieties.

Turantot·Abudou’aini, a 28-year-old graduate of Xinjiang Agricultural University, returned to his hometown in 2023. China Youth Daily reported on the April 2026 specialty fruit observation meeting held at his cherry demonstration greenhouse, where he shared his experience with township leaders and fellow farmers. “Previously, growing fruit trees relied entirely on experience; when trees got sick, we could only watch helplessly,” he said. “Experts from the CAS Xinjiang Branch taught me hands-on how to improve soil and implement integrated water-fertilizer management. Now cherry yields are up, quality is better, and costs have actually decreased.”

The transition wasn’t always smooth. Some parents questioned why their university-educated children would return to farming. Xiareputi·Tuohutiwake’s parents asked bluntly: “We are farmers ourselves; how come after finishing school you come back and still are a farmer?” But as incomes have risen, attitudes have shifted. Abulai Aizezi’s parents now say: “We couldn’t afford to send you to school, but you’ve still grown so well, and you can lead the villagers to prosperity together.”

Technology Rooted in the Fields

The CAS Xinjiang Branch has been stationed in Ayimake Village since 2014, when it launched its Science and Technology Service Network Plan. The Chinese Academy of Sciences has documented the broader effort to transform Xinjiang’s saline-alkali land into productive farmland, noting that over one-third of the region’s cultivated land suffers from varying degrees of salinization. In Ayimake Village, the branch has supported the development of 122 greenhouses and invested over 7 million yuan in infrastructure improvements.

“We need to let scientific research results leave the laboratory and truly take root in the fields,” said Bao Anming, deputy director of the CAS Xinjiang Branch. The village, home to more than 400 households, began creating a regional rural revitalization demonstration village in December 2022, with China National Radio reporting on the “agriculture + tourism + picking” industrial chain that now benefits over 100 households.

Policy Backing and Forward Momentum

The project operates within a broader policy framework. In November 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region People’s Government jointly issued the Work Plan for Promoting High-Quality Development of Modern Facility Agriculture in Southern Xinjiang, targeting 9 billion yuan in annual output value from facility planting and employment or entrepreneurship opportunities for 200,000 rural laborers by the end of 2028.

Wang Ping’s project is scheduled to conclude in October 2027, but the skills he has imparted are designed to outlast it. “I’ve already learned the technology,” Abulai Aizezi said. “Even if the project ends, I can continue on my own.” The CAS Xinjiang Branch work team remains stationed in the village, with First Secretary Wang Shi planning to expand planting scale and support more returning university students in developing a comprehensive model integrating planting, picking, and sightseeing.

“The CAS Xinjiang Branch not only brought technology, but also cultivated a group of ‘immovable’ local talents,” said Maimaiti·Mamuti, deputy county magistrate of Moyu County. “They understand local conditions, have technical skills, and dare to start businesses—they are the most active force in rural revitalization.”

As the greenhouses of Ayimake Village continue to yield fruit from once-barren soil, they also yield something perhaps more valuable: a new generation of farmers equipped with the knowledge and confidence to build sustainable agricultural enterprises in one of China’s most challenging environments.