In Ekalkhori, the sand was always part of life. Then it began coming too close.

In the village near Jodhpur, hot summer winds pushed loose sand towards homes, while dunes slowly crept over farmland at the edge of the village. For many families in western Rajasthan, this was a familiar worry: the Thar was moving, little by little, towards the land they depended on.

More than five decades ago, Ranaram Bishnoi decided to respond in the only way he knew.

Today, at 86, he stands behind what locals describe as a living wall against desertification: nearly 27,000 trees spread across around 25 bigha, or roughly 10 acres, of what was once barren sand.

There were no bulldozers, irrigation grids or climate grants involved. Just a farmer carrying water across dunes to keep saplings alive.

A forest built in a desert

Where shifting sand once dominated the landscape, native trees such as khejri, neem, rohida, babool and kankeri now stand rooted across the terrain. Their branches break the force of desert winds. Their roots hold loose soil that once drifted freely towards nearby homes and farms. 

In arid regions, trees are not ornamental additions to the landscape. They are infrastructure.

Native desert vegetation acts as a wind barrier, slows dune movement and reduces soil erosion.  In fragile ecosystems like the Thar, even small........

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