BAREFOOT ARTISTS NETWORK

Drakyom PALZANG

In the fall of 2023, Barefoot Artist founder, director and lead artist, Lily Yeh, visited Palzang at his home on the Tibetan Plateau. Lily was inspired by Palzang’s success in combating desertification, and the two began to envision a collaborative project that will take place in late summer 2025.

Palzang is a noted herder from the Ruoergai Grassland on the edge of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Sichuan province. He is the founder of Trachung Tsang Cultural and Environmental Protection Center. 

Over the last 15 years, Palzang has developed a unique methodology that empowers local Tibetans and their yak herds to work together to combat desertification. He has engaged over 1000 Tibetans to recover 667 hectares of grassland that experienced desertification. 

You can see the 5-step process employed by Palzang, his team of herders
and their families in the series of photos below…

Step 1：Plant saplings

Step 1：Plant saplings

Step 2：Prepare the land

Step 2：Prepare the land

Step 3: Sow the seeds

Step 3: Sow the seeds

Step 4：Bring in the yak herd to burrow the seeds into the ground by trampling on the land and fertilize the land with their dung

Step 4：Bring in the yak herd to burrow the seeds into the ground by trampling on the land and fertilize the land with their dung

Step 5: Let the natural process takeover to rejuvenate the land

Step 5: Let the natural process takeover to rejuvenate the land

related Articles