Villagers in Zambia's rural areas are expecting increased farming productivity and income thanks to a Chinese-aided project aiming to help reduce poverty in the southern African country.
The project, the Demonstration Village for China-Africa Agricultural Development and Poverty Reduction, was proposed during the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held last November. It aims to establish 10 demonstration villages in the rural areas of Zambia over the next few years.
Earlier this month, Shimwengwe Village in Chongwe District, Lusaka Province was set up as one of the demonstration villages.
Simushi Liswaniso, the project coordinator, said the project, which runs from this year to 2025, has been financed by China under the Belt and Road/South-South Cooperation Agricultural Education, Science and Technology Innovation League (BRSSCAL) through China's Jilin Agricultural University.
He thanked the Chinese government for supporting the project, adding that such projects will enhance the friendship between the two countries since it was aimed at improving people's lives.
He further thanked Jilin Agricultural University for spearheading the project and hoped that more funds will be secured to ensure the smooth implementation of the project.
Liswaniso said the results from the pilot project will be used to assess whether to extend the project to other parts of the country in order to improve the lives of vulnerable families in rural areas.
Zambia has a lot to learn from China which has managed to lift millions of its people out of poverty because of its robust poverty reduction programs, he added.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
