Workers make baked wheaten cakes at a production center of Shaodeli Company in Longsangsi town, Shanghe county, Jinan, Shandong province. [Photo by Hao Qian/jinannews.com]

A variety of industries in rural areas of Jinan, Shandong province are providing ways for local farmers to increase their incomes and improve their living standards.

In Xisi village, Licheng district, a black donkey breeding project helped 10 poor villages increase their average incomes, raised 123 villagers out of poverty, and offered jobs for five poor households.

The local government raised 4 million yuan ($563,205.76) in poverty alleviation funds and joined with Nanquan Animal Husbandry Company to carry out a breeding project involving donkey sheds, warehouses, offices, substations, and digesters, covering an area of 34 mu (22,666.66 square meters).

In 2018, the number of black donkeys in the village reached 204, and it has sold more than 130 donkeys, generating 400,000 yuan in profit.

The company is also providing jobs for poor households and encouraging poor villagers to gain skills to raise themselves out of poverty.

A childless elderly villager surnamed Yao, who has a chronic illness, improved his quality of life after learning how to raise donkeys.

Baked wheaten cake is a popular local snack in Longsangsi town, Shanghe county, Jinan, and the local government has taken advantage of the snack's popularity to help local villagers out of poverty.

In 2017, the local government granted 2 million yuan to Shaodeli, a leading local bakery, to help it focus more on producing baked wheaten cakes. The company currently allocates eight percent of its revenue to helping locals.

Shaodeli currently has 32 employees, 20 percent of whom are below the poverty line. Wang Xiaohong is one such impoverished worker. She is in a difficult situation due to sick parents, but Shaodeli has offered her a job near her house and she can now earn more than 2,000 yuan per month.

By focusing on the production of baked wheaten cakes, the town has achieved a breakthrough in the traditional food industry and has helped local villages increase their incomes.

Longsangsi town is prioritizing industrial poverty alleviation, developing distinct industries, and working to revitalize rural industries.