A chicken farm in Xide county, Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, Southwest China's Sichuan province has been raising local residents' incomes.

The farm was built using the 9 million yuan ($1.38 million) provided by Ningbo's Haishu district. According to Cao Lei, an official assigned from Ningbo to serve as deputy head of Xide county, 5 to 8 percent of the farm's annual revenue will be given to local low-income residents.

Last April, Ningbo was paired with Liangshan under the east-west poverty relief program by the central government, which sees more prosperous provinces and municipalities in East China lend support to underdeveloped regions in the country. Ningbo has been assigned to support 11 counties in Liangshan.

Located in Zidu village, Beishan township, the chicken farm sits at an altitude of 2,600 meters and spans 68 mu (4.53 hectares). This year, it expected to produce over 3 million chickens, which will boost the incomes of more than 3,000 farmers.

According to Wang Shaobo, the general manager at the farm, a chicken coop which spans 1 mu can raise 70,000 chickens worth over 5 million yuan annually.

In addition, poultry feces, which are usually used as fertilizers, can be sold at a price of more than 1,000 yuan per metric ton, Wang said.

About 660 square meters of solar photovoltaic panels are also expected to be laid on the roof of each chicken shed, providing farmers will their own source of power as well as another income stream as the electricity generated will be sold to neighboring areas.

The chicken farm has raised the incomes of 78 local households by 3,000 yuan and created jobs for 35 people, official statistics show.

This year, Haishu has launched six industrial projects related to livestock breeding and agricultural products processing in the Sichuan county. These projects represent a combined investment of 32.1 million yuan from Ningbo.

Liangshan is the largest inhabited area of the Yi people in China. Located in the southwest of Sichuan province, it covers an area of 60,400 square kilometers and has jurisdiction over two cities and 15 counties, of which 10 counties are inhabited by the Yi.