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LANZHOU, July 16 -- Growing crops had never been a profitable business for the farmers of Shahe village, in the waterless and desolated Gobi desert of northwest China's Gansu Province. "The land was so barren that most villagers had no choice but to leave their hometown to make a living," recalled Fan Lide, a villager of Shahe who has worked as a plumber, mechanic, and taxi-driver in other provinces. "We expected to transform our hometown from a wasteland to farmland. However, this only seemed to be a daydream without money and proper technology," Fan said. In 2009, Suzhou District in Jiuquan City, where Shahe village is located, launched a program to build greenhouses in the desert, aiming to enable farmers to grow cash crops such as vegetables, edible fungi, and grapes. Farming in the Gobi desert has its advantages: the extended amount of sunlight provides adequate energy for crops, a significant temperature difference between day and night helps crops accumulate nutrients, and the Gobi's hot and dry air means fewer pests and crop diseases. The first group of 50 greenhouses built by the district took up around 800 hectares; Fan rented four to grow tomatoes and chilies. The greenhouses are loaded with all kinds of technologies, including soilless cultivation, integrated water and fertilization controls, as well as remote phone app controls. With an app called "Greenhouse Manager," Fan can monitor and control the environment in the greenhouses by adjusting all kinds of sensors installed on his phone. | 
