Ordos turns shrubs into green economy

In the vast sandy stretches of Ordos, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, resilient shrubs like caragana and sand willows are doing more than holding back the desert – they're powering an emerging green economy.

These hardy plants now form the backbone of a full industrial chain that integrates forage cultivation, feed processing, resource utilization, and ecological restoration.

In Wulanaobao, a village near the edge of the Kubuqi Desert, a feed processing facility operated by the Yuheng Agricultural and Pastoral Cooperative is turning bundles of caragana branches into high-nutrient feed pellets. Previously discarded after shrubs were cut back for rejuvenation, which happens every five to eight years, these once useless branches now fuel economic activity thanks to government-supported facilities.

The factory produces over 10,000 metric tons of feed annually, supporting over 200 herder households through a resource exchange program, while also generating 100,000 yuan ($13,947) in annual income for the village collective economy.

Meanwhile, in Bayinchaidamu village, a biomass pellet plant is giving new life to discarded wood. Through crushing, drying, compressing, and screening, waste timber is processed into clean-burning biomass fuel pellets – an eco-friendly alternative to coal.

Across the Kubuqi Desert, the value chain for shrub resources is growing. Sand willows are transformed into clean fuels and engineered wood for high-end furniture, while caragana is processed into quality feed to ease forage shortages in animal husbandry. These innovations are driving desert control and turning environmental challenges into economic opportunities.

To ensure the sustainability of ecological efforts, Ordos is also investing heavily in seedling cultivation. The city has developed drought-resistant nurseries to support large-scale afforestation.

According to Hasilu from the Ordos Forestry and Grassland Development Center, "Currently, Ordos is home to over 156,500 mu (10,400 hectares) of native drought-tolerant tree nurseries, producing nearly 1 billion seedlings. This effectively meets the seedling demands for key ecological projects such as the 2025 Three-North Forest Shelterbelt Program."