Italy's populist government wants to reward parents who have a third child with the offer of free farmland, in a new plan aimed at reviving the country’s low birth rate.

The children-for-land incentive, inserted into Italy’s latest draft budget, aims to give parcels of state-held agricultural land for 20 years to parents who give birth to a third child between 2019 and 2021.

Families also would be eligible for zero-interest loans for up to €200,000 (£175,000) if they opt to buy their first home near their newly acquired land.

"They say that Italians have few children and that something is needed to turn the trend around," said Gian Marco Centinaio, the agriculture minister.

"That's why the ministry wants to contribute, favouring rural areas in particular, where people still have children," he told the media.