GHA/08/054 - Snail farming project

Objective: The project aims to generate income for the unemployed youths and to provide protein food for the community.

Background: The project organizers have been visited by an official from the Department of Agriculture, at the request of the FAOR in Ghana, and he was completely satisfied with the aims of the group and the feasibility of their making a success of the venture because: 1. They do not have to have large areas of land to produce snails. 2. Snails are very easy to manage 3. Feeding them is not as difficult as compared to small ruminants. 4. The demand for Snail Kebab is very high indicating that there is market for the produce. 5. The initial investment is not very high but the returns are good. 6. Snails are not usually attacked by diseases. 7. The nutritional value is good. 8. Time spent with them is not too demanding.

Use of Funds: The project aims to generate income for the unemployed youths and to provide protein food for the community. After a short training period, they will be provided with nylon netting and nails to prepare hatching boxes and structures, using local materials such as wood, plus Wellington boots, gloves and 6 kgs of snails apiece. Beneficiaries will contribute some matured snails to the foundation every three months. These collected snails will be distributed to the aged, children and orphans in the community to meet their protein needs. Beneficiaries will then prepare the rest of the matured snails for sale either alive or as kebabs. Snails are an essential commodity now in the communities because of their high nutritional value: protein, iron, fat, water and calcium. They are also low in cholesterol. The elderly women in the community will use the snail shells for locally manufactured soap.

Beneficiaries: 124