Chinese afforestation workers prepare the ground before poking straw partway into the sand, forming a pattern of small squares in the desert areas of Minqin county in Gansu province, October 2016. The grid like network of straw fences break the force of the wind at ground level, stopping dune movement by confining the sand within the squares of the grid. Minqin county is located in between the Tengger Desert and the Badain Jaran Desert.