The process of farming or raising snails is scientifically referred to as Heliciculture. Snails are small soft animals, usually with a hard round shell on their back which move very slowly. Snail farming is considered a good venture around the world because snail is a cheap source of animal protein and the farming is also easy to set up. Although snails of different origins exist, in this handbook, one of the African giant land snails, Archachatina marginata will be our focus being one of the commonest. The Yoruba’s call it “Igbin Apinnu”; it is the biggest size, even as the adult weighs between 300 -700g. The fleshy part is dark brown and the shell is wider at the posterior end.

Seminar paper from the year 2016 in the subject Agrarian Studies, grade: 4.4, course: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, language: English, abstract: This paper examines the various human and non-human factors endangering snail species' population, growth, development and reproduction both in the wild and under domestication; it also highlights the diseases affecting edible snails, conservation consciousness and preventive management practices to be adopted by snail farmers in West Africa in order to ensure the continued existence of these indigenous species with their enormous nutritional, health and economic benefit to mankind. In recent times, the wild snail species population in West Africa has witnessed a steady decline in its population and biodiversity attributed to the impact of human activities, predators, climatic factors and diseases. With the expected 30% rise in the world's population from 7.03 billion in 2010 to 9.14 billion in 2030, adequate measures should be taken and adopted to ensure the continued existence of these economic snails biodiversity in the ecosystem. Some of the unsupported snail hunting and population depleting behaviours of the farmers in the region are highlighted and corrected.

The fast dwindling populations of giant African snails due to intense human predation has necessitated search for methods of farming. This book is therefore directed to people who are interested in the new venture. Depending on the level of investment and commitment, what may start as trial and error could be developed to good living. Opportunities exist for those who are willing to invest time, resources and patience in snail farming. It is a practical guide to farming of giant African snails with a recommendation of outdoor farming for tropical countries and information about indoor breeding. The book outlines the main types of edible land snails and their characteristics, methods of snail farming, husbandry practices, snail trade and snail dishes. A model farm is recommended for the tropics. Information given in the book should help every snail farmer understand why he/she does what. The general reader would be informed and educated. Snail farming is gradually being integrated into curricula of college programmes and the book should provide vital information for such courses. Welcome to the world of these fascinating and peaceful animals who hasten slowly.

This book serves the purpose of documenting and promoting African experiences on sustainable development, which encompasses both, formal and non-formal education. Sustainable development is very important to Africa, but there is a paucity of publication which documents and promotes experiences from African countries. Due to their complexity, the interrelations between social, economic and political factors related to sustainable development, especially at universities, need to be better understood. There is also a real need to showcase successful examples of how African institutions are handling their sustainability challenges. It is against this background that this book has been produced. It is a truly interdisciplinary publication, useful to scholars, social movements, practitioners and members of governmental agencies and private companies, undertaking research and/or executing projects focusing on sustainability from across Africa. As African nations strive to pursue the UN Sustainable Development Goals, it is imperative to cater for the information needs seen across the continent and foster the dissemination of experiences and case studies, which may support both, on-going and future efforts. The scope of the book is deliberately kept wide, and we are looking for contributions across the spectrum of sustainable development from business and economics, to arts and fashion, administration, environment, languages and media studies.