JINAN -- A traditional agricultural site in East China's Shandong province has been inscribed as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System, a world heritage equivalent.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has officially designated the traditional mulberry system in Xiajin's ancient Yellow River course as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System, authorities in Xiajin county announced Friday.

The heritage site covers an area of 2,200 hectares on the ancient course of the Yellow River.

Over 12,000 mulberry trees aged over 100 years are in the site, said Liu Shuwen, head of the county tourism bureau.

The county produces about 14,000 tonnes of mulberry a year, with 7,500 tonnes from ancient mulberry trees, said Liu.

The FAO launched the heritage program in 2002 to identify and protect the globally important agricultural heritage sites and their associated biodiversity, landscapes, knowledge systems and cultures.

By the end of 2017, 13 agricultural sites in China had been inscribed on the FAO's heritage list