Li Yonggeng is a plant scientistscientist/ˈsaɪəntɪst/L1科学家a person who studies science and learns about the world. He works in a desertdesert/ˈdɛzərt/L1沙漠a very dry place with little water and few plants in China. The land was very dry and sandy. Strong winds blew sand everywhere. Li wanted to fix the land. He had an idea. He will use chickens to help. Chickens make good fertilizerfertilizer/ˈfɜːrtɪlaɪzər/L1肥料something added to soil to help plants grow for the soil.
First, Li tried 50,000 chickens. But big groups of chickens caused problems. They ate too much grass. Badgers killed many chickens. The chickens also hurt each other. So Li changed his plan. He used small groups of chickens. He moved them every few days. This worked better. The grass grew back. The land became green again.
Now herdersherders/ˈhɜːrdərz/L1牧民people who take care of animals like sheep or goats are happy. They earn money from eggs and meat. One herder built a nice house. He calls the chickens his "mini ATM." Li feels proudproud/praʊd/L1自豪的feeling happy about something you did well. He helped the land and the people. He will keep working to make the desert green.
