Hi Friends,
Snails interestingly are animals reared which do not have bones and this process is known as heliculture and is purposely for consumption, cosmetics and esthetics.
The best known or cultivated land snail species is Helix pomatia. In West Africa particularly, Achatina achatina (commonly known as Africa giant snail) is the most common edible.
Some other consumable species are found in various parts of the world. The reasons for snail farming are varied and include;
Snails are been consumed as meat the world over due to its nutritional value (protein 12-16%, Iron 45-50mg/kg, low in fats 0.05-0.8%) and in Cameroon they have highest consumption rates in the Coastal region. It is often prepared in the form of sawyer, pepper soup, cook with vegetables such as eru.
Its farming also do generate income both to peasant and commercial farmers who mostly are rural women and this enables them to support their household needs thus improving on their livelihoods.
They are also part of the ecosystem in the tropical rainforest and Savannah regions in Cameroon, as they serve as food to other predator animals such reptiles, including man thus completing the food chain. Snails are not destructive in nature and are such environmentally friendly.
Also, snails equally have medicinal value as shown by research that the glandular substance from edible snails can be used for the treatment of a varieties of infections such as whooping cough. Its high Iron content is also considered for he treatment of anaemia.
Its shell are also used for esthetics or decoration in various forms.
