Heliciculture is the practice of raising snails for human use, either for use in gastronomy, cosmetics, natural medicine, as pets or as food for other animals. In turn, heliciculture has been recognized in recent years as a very profitable and low-risk subcategory of agriculture.
One of the reasons for the growing popularity of heliciculture is due to the fact that snails are an excellent source of food, rich in protein; iron, with a low fat content and also with the amino acids necessary for the human body. In some areas of Africa they are common in the daily menu, becoming cheaper than red meat.
Currently in Europe there is a high demand for giant African snails, consequently the breeding of these animals has increased considerably. However, the main market for snails is in West Africa, from where they are also exported to European countries and North America. The United States alone imports $200 million worth of snails annually. The potential profit from heliciculture is in the commercialization of live snails, however an additional profit is also obtained from the sale of shells, snail eggs and slime.
Farm snail breeding
Unlike other companies, snail farming does not require a large financial investment to start. It can be installed in a backyard or on some vacant lot in the neighborhood or town.
Generally, snails tend to be very inactive during the dry season, consequently they are very scarce during this period, so their supply turns out to be seasonal, despite being hermaphroditic and able to mate throughout the year.
When raising snails, it is necessary to concentrate on the soil, which must have a light structure that facilitates reproduction and the ability to hatch the eggs. On the other hand, the incubation of the eggs will depend on other factors such as temperature, humidity and soil composition.
Both the local plants and the snails must be protected from the wind and remain moist at night, since the snails can move more easily in the humidity, for this purpose the installation of sprinklers will be necessary in some cases. Likewise, the site must be free of large trees that can harbor insects (such as ants, earwigs and centipedes) or predators (rats, weasels, mice, etc.).
In the practice of heliciculture, at least four inches of deep soil will be necessary for the snails to lay their eggs, and a neutral to alkaline pH to provide the calcium carbonate needed for shell formation. A hygienic environment and certain practices, such as replacing daily feeds to prevent spoilage, can prevent the spread of disease in snails as well as improve their growth rate.
The size of the farm can vary depending on the category of the producer. People starting out with a small business can use approximately 3,000 to 10,000 square meters of area, while large-scale growers will require at least 2 hectares to start heliciculture.
As for their diet, most species of snails are vegetarian and accept many types of food. Basically their diet is based on the consumption of green leaves (kola, cassava, eggplant, etc.), fruits (mango, papaya, tomato, figs, etc.), tubers (yam, potato, etc.) and flowers. Sometimes, depending on the species of snail that is being raised, it will be necessary to provide food rich in nutrients that improve the growth of the snail.
Species used in heliciculture
Snails belong to the phylum Mollusca. Members of this group are distributed throughout the world. They are predominantly aquatic, but there are also terrestrial ones. All farm snails intended for heliciculture are members of the Gastropoda class and are also terrestrial.
Among the most popular edible species are Helix aspersa, Helix pomatia (Roman snail or Burgundy snail), Helix lucorum (Turkish snail) and Eobania vermiculata. These species are generally differentiated by variations in size, color, and banding of the shell.
Helix aspersa (Cornu aspersum), covers 40% of the heliciculture market and has a wide distribution, found in Europe, the United States, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and some regions of South America such as Mexico and Argentina. They can adapt to almost any climate, being found in sand dunes, forests, fields and gardens, which makes their breeding less risky. At the level of the carapace it has a pattern of reticulated brown spots. The diameter of the shell varies between 25 to 40 mm and the height between 25 to 35 mm.
Helix pomatia, covers 28% of the market and can be found throughout Europe and the United States, living in vineyards, valleys, gardens and wooded mountains up to 2000 meters. This species is very popular among lovers of gastronomy, however it is one of the species threatened by the continuous destruction of its habitat, being registered on the IUCN red list. It has a white shell with indistinct brown bands. The width of the shell is from 30 to 50 mm and the height from 40 to 45 mm.
