District in Lusaka Province has been picked to undertake a pilot project being undertaken by the China Africa Agricultural Development and poverty reduction project.
The project seeks to empower households in villages with skills in livestock production.
Chongwe District Commissioner Evans Lupiya said the project was aimed at alleviating poverty in villages.
Dr Lupiya said in an interview that Zambia had become the second country to benefit from the project after Tanzania.
“This is the first project in Zambia which will empower the villagers with skills in livestock production aimed at fighting poverty in villages,” he said.
He said the pilot project would be done for one year in Shimwengwe Village in Chongwe and depending on how it performed it would spread to other parts of the country.
“The project is sponsored by the Chinese government and being implemented by Jilin Agricultural University,” he said.
He said the project was a product of the engagement between President Hakainde Hichilema and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
He said at the end of the project, there would be more capacity building and employment creation which would prioritise the local people.
Coordinator of the project Simushi Liswaniso said the project would start with the training of the local people with skills in livestock production and to make chicken production as a business.
“It will benefit people on the ground,” he said.
