Snails becoming more popular in Africa as a source of food and income

In countries like France, snails have long been considered a delicacy. Giant African land snails are becoming more popular in Africa as a source of food and income for farmers. Snails are low in fat and high in protein, iron, calcium, and vitamin A. However, they are high in cholesterol, just like prawns. “Most of our farmers are mainly looking for alternatives to either addressing the high rates of fertilizer costs, higher rates of inputs that are really using their cost of production, and therefore use of snails which is less capital intensive with high-value products that generate more money seems to be an attractive point to most of these farmers”, argues Paul Kinoti, food technologist at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. Land snails are ideal to farm because they’re easier then cattle to look after. Food experts believe that snail farming is a sustainable alternative to rearing other animals which produce methane that contributes to climate change. Many ...