Ding Yinhua, 69, shepherds her sheep and goats back home in the Gobi desert in Minqin county, Wuwei, Gansu province, China, April 18, 2021. Some of the farmers in Wuwei have begun to lose hope after decades trying to subdue the deserts. Despite the tree-planting, pastures have deteriorated in recent years as a result of declining rainfall in the spring and summer, Ding said. "It's just no good without rain. We don't have land so there's no other way: we just herd sheep. In 2015 and 2016, there was rain but since then there's been nothing, and you now have to wait until September," she said. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "SAND RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES