North China's Shanxi province will choose sites in 10 of its counties to be used as demonstration projects for family farms, according to a development plan recently released by provincial government departments.

Under the progam, Shanxi aims to have over 500 provincial-level family farm models by 2022. 

It will also have 1,000 family farm models at the city-level and above and 2,000 family farm models at county-level and above by 2022 -- with the development quality of the family farms significantly improved.

Officials said that to achieve these goals, Shanxi will include qualified large-scale breeding and planting households within the scope of family farms.

They said it would guide family farms to carry out operations based on local resources, industry characteristics and farm produce varieties. 

The province will promote family farms to improve orders and profits, so as to benefit more farmers. 

Family farms will be supported to participate in the construction of food production functional areas, specialty organic agricultural production areas, as well as demonstration areas for organic dryland farming and modern agricultural industrial parks.

Government departments of agriculture and rural affairs at the county, city and provincial level will draw up special training programs to train family farm operators at least once every three years.

They will encourage agricultural colleges, scientific research institutes, agricultural enterprises and various industrial parks to conduct training for family farms. 

Entrepreneurship policies targeting returned migrant workers, graduates and retired soldiers will be implemented to guide and support them in building and operating family farms.

To help solve financial problems in the establishment and operation of family farms, Shanxi will encourage cities and counties to support demonstration counties for family farms with incentives and loan discounts.

Financial institutions will also be encouraged to develop credit products, streamline the loan approval process and issue favorable loan amounts, interest rates and terms for family farms.