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Thirsty goats gather for a drink at the well of De Quigigi, a goatherder in Ejinaqi, Inner Mongolia. Decades of upstream water diversions for agriculture, along with over-pumping groundwater and increasing aridity from climate change, had turned much of the former grasslands of the western Gobi Desert region into a modern Dust Bowl by 2000 when this photograph was taken. The Mongolian Plateau is an important livestock and grain producer for China. Inner Mongolia has lost more than 23 million square miles of land to desertification, more than any other province in the nation. Over the past decade, several major government initiatives to turn that around have met with some success, including increased water diversions from the Yellow and Heihe Rivers that have allowed this area to grow crops once again. Globally, dry lands compose 45 percent of the world’s agricultural lands, and thanks to climate change and unsustainable agricultural practices, more than 12 percent has been lost or degraded by desertification, affecting some 213 million people worldwide.

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STNMTZ_20001001_61B.TIF
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© 2000 George Steinmetz
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www.georgesteinmetz.com
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Thirsty goats gather for a drink at the well of De Quigigi, a goatherder in Ejinaqi, Inner Mongolia. Decades of upstream water diversions for agriculture, along with over-pumping groundwater and increasing aridity from climate change, had turned much of the former grasslands of the western Gobi Desert region into a modern Dust Bowl by 2000 when this photograph was taken. The Mongolian Plateau is an important livestock and grain producer for China. Inner Mongolia has lost more than 23 million square miles of land to desertification, more than any other province in the nation. Over the past decade, several major government initiatives to turn that around have met with some success, including increased water diversions from the Yellow and Heihe Rivers that have allowed this area to grow crops once again. Globally, dry lands compose 45 percent of the world’s agricultural lands, and thanks to climate change and unsustainable agricultural practices, more than 12 percent has been lost or degraded by desertification, affecting some 213 million people worldwide.

All images ©George Steinmetz. Please contact us for usage.