ABSTRACT

This study was carried out in Akure metropolis to evaluate the consumption characteristics of mushrooms and snails among urban households. A stratified random sampling technique was used to administer seventy questionnaires to heads of urban households in the study area. The results showed that urban households in the area consume both mushrooms and snails. A chi-square test at the 0.05 level showed that the respondents’ educational qualification, income level and household size each had a significant influence on the consumption of mushrooms and snails. Some respondents, however, did not eat mushrooms because they feared that some mushrooms are poisonous. The study concludes that forestry departments can raise mushroom consumption by increasing urban households’ awareness of edible mushrooms, so that the fear of poisoning is removed.

Keywords: mushroom, snail, household consumption, urban households, Akure

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Snail meat has been eaten by people in many parts of the world for a very long time. Interest in snail farming stems largely from the nutritional quality of the meat and its traditional medicinal uses. Reviews of the nutritional literature describe snail meat as a source of protein that contains all the essential amino acids, is low in fat, and supplies minerals of nutritional importance, notably calcium, zinc and iron (Baghele, Mishra, Meyer-Rochow, Jung & Ghosh, 2022). Adeyeye, Bolaji, Abegunde and Adesina (2020) add that its dry matter is particularly rich in amino acids such as lysine, leucine, arginine and tryptophan, and that it provides iron, magnesium, calcium and zinc while being low in cholesterol.

Published figures for the protein content of snail meat vary widely. Baghele et al. (2022) report an average of about 14% on a fresh-matter basis, with fat at about 1.4%. Tanyitiku (2022) reports a range of 37% to 51% and compares it with guinea pig (20.3%), poultry (18.3%), fish (18%), cattle (17.5%), sheep (16.4%) and swine (14.5%). Part of the difference arises from whether results are expressed on fresh or dry weight, since fresh snail meat is roughly 70% water (Adeyeye et al., 2020), as well as from species and method of analysis. Whichever figure is used, snail meat compares favourably with the conventional animal protein foods.

Snails also have a long record in traditional medicine. The fluid obtained from the snail has been used in folk practice for conditions such as anaemia, high blood pressure, poor eyesight, wounds, burns and skin diseases, and it is popularly regarded as beneficial to infants. Snail meat is likewise commonly recommended to people with hypertension and to pregnant women because of its mineral content, and historical accounts credit it with a range of other uses. Scientific evidence for several of these traditional claims is limited, and they are reported here as popular belief rather than established clinical fact. What is firmly established is that snail meat is an important source of protein and that snail rearing can provide additional income for farmers. This study will serve as a reference for snail farmers and will create awareness among prospective ones.

Protein is a particular concern in a country where many people cannot afford conventional animal products. Tanyitiku (2022) notes that snail meat has become a principal protein food for rural people in parts of Africa, and that in Nigeria and Cameroon more than 80% of the population cannot afford conventional meat. Snail meat is therefore widely recommended as a substitute for meat protein, and Adeyeye et al. (2020) conclude that it can help to reduce protein malnutrition in Africa. Snail meat spoils quickly, within a day or two of harvesting, which makes proper preservation important to farmers, processors and consumers (Adeyeye et al., 2020).

Snails reproduce readily. Although edible land snails are hermaphrodites, fertilisation requires two snails to mate and exchange sperm. The eggs are laid at night in holes dug a few centimetres into the soil, and they hatch after about two weeks. The hatchlings remain in the soil for a few days after hatching. Snails feed mostly at night and at dusk, and they may also feed during the day when it rains or the sky is heavily clouded. Breeding under domestication can start at any time of the year, but the beginning of the rainy season is the best time because feed is then plentiful. Foundation stock may be obtained from snail farmers, from research institutes that produce snails, or by collection from the forest.

Snail farming (heliciculture) has several advantages over most other livestock enterprises. Adewale and Belewu (2022) list low housing, health care and feeding costs, high adaptability to different environments, high reproductive capacity, efficient meat production and the possibility of rearing snails in urban areas without disturbing neighbours. Snail keeping also demands little labour and specialised knowledge, and a ready domestic and international market exists. Some constraints, however, limit performance. They include genetic factors, hormonal influences, environmental conditions, rearing patterns and the inefficient use of the resources available to farmers. Adewale and Belewu (2022) found that farmers in Oyo State were most constrained by insufficient funds for expansion, the lack of collateral for loans and inadequate extension visits.

Snail meat is also traded internationally and is a traditional part of the diet of people in the forest belt of West Africa. In Côte d’Ivoire, an estimated 7.9 million kilograms of snail meat is consumed each year, and demand now exceeds supply in Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria (Tanyitiku, 2022). In Nigeria, however, taboos against producing, eating and selling snails persist in some places and have been abandoned in others, and most snail farms are small. Despite the potential and advantages of snail farming, widespread participation by farmers has not been achieved, and much of the snail meat marketed in Nigeria is still gathered from the wild. Tanyitiku (2022) observes that snails are largely hand-picked for sale and domestic use and that snail farming hardly exists on a commercial scale in Africa. Baghele et al. (2022) similarly conclude that establishing heliciculture facilities is necessary to support this food resource and to improve the economy of local areas. The limited uptake is probably due in large part to inadequate awareness of the economic potential of this micro-livestock.

Mushrooms are the second food of interest in this study. They are the edible fruiting bodies of certain fungi, and they may be gathered from the wild or grown under cultivation. Oguntoye, Adesope, Fatoki, Arowolo, Olawale and Oyetoki (2022) describe mushrooms as a nutritious food that contains essential amino acids and can help to narrow the protein gap in Nigeria. Their survey of 250 residents of Ibadan found that 87.2% ate mushrooms, though about half did so only occasionally, that 70% considered them not readily available, and that 84% preferred them to other sources of protein. Age, education, income, household size, availability and awareness of the benefits significantly influenced consumption, while seasonal production, short shelf life and cost were the main constraints. A study in Port Harcourt by Okomadu and Adedokun (2017) found that 13.3% of respondents had never tasted mushrooms and that 58.9% would be interested in consuming them if cultivated mushrooms were available. Such findings show that mushroom consumption in southern Nigeria depends on awareness, availability and income, and that the same may be true in Akure.

The consumption of snails has been studied in a similar way. Oguntoye, Fatoki, Adetola, Arowolo and Tokede (2020) examined household snail consumption in Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State and recommended that extension workers encourage the public to rear snails so that they are available throughout the year and affordable. Information of this kind is lacking for Akure metropolis, which is the gap this study addresses.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Many agricultural strategies have been adopted in Nigeria, yet the daily animal protein intake per person, estimated at under 10 g, remains far below the minimum of 35 g recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (Adewale & Belewu, 2022). To bridge this gap, other sources of animal protein must be explored in addition to ruminants and poultry. The high prices of beef, pork, poultry and goat meat have placed them beyond the reach of many families, which strengthens the case for non-traditional sources (Adewale & Belewu, 2022).

One important alternative source of animal protein that has received little attention in Nigeria is the snail. Where snail meat is popular, as in Nigeria, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, snails are mostly gathered from the forest during the wet season. Adewale and Belewu (2022) report that wild snail populations in Nigeria have declined greatly as a result of human activities, including the felling of trees, indiscriminate bush burning and the collection of snails before they mature, and that in the absence of large-scale breeding the future of the species is at risk. This makes the encouragement of heliciculture a means of conserving an important resource as well as of increasing food supply, because conservation of the species will be possible only through deliberate efforts to farm them. Hunting alone is no longer a sufficient source of snails, and snail farming should be encouraged as a new branch of sustainable animal production. Nigeria’s rapidly growing population is another reason to look for new food resources, since conventional agricultural practices cannot keep pace with demand.

Despite the potential and advantages of snail farming, widespread participation by farmers has not been achieved. Much of the snail meat marketed in Nigeria is collected from the wild, and few farms breed snails commercially, probably because of limited awareness of the economic potential of this micro-livestock (Tanyitiku, 2022; Adewale & Belewu, 2022). Mushrooms face a comparable difficulty. They are nutritious and could supplement household diets, yet many people avoid them for fear of poisoning, and supply is irregular (Okomadu & Adedokun, 2017; Oguntoye et al., 2022). Little is known about how urban households in Akure actually consume these two foods. This study therefore examines the consumption characteristics of mushrooms and snails among urban households in Akure metropolis, Ondo State.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The broad objective of the study is to examine the consumption characteristics of mushrooms and snails among urban households within Akure metropolis, Ondo State, Nigeria. The specific objectives are to:

1. evaluate the consumption characteristics of mushrooms and snails among urban households within Akure metropolis;
2. describe the socio-economic characteristics associated with snail and mushroom consumption among urban households within Akure metropolis; and
3. identify the constraints facing mushroom and snail consumption and production in the study area.

1.4 Research Questions

1. What are the consumption characteristics of mushrooms and snails among urban households within Akure metropolis?
2. What are the socio-economic characteristics associated with snail and mushroom consumption among urban households within Akure metropolis?
3. What are the constraints facing mushroom and snail consumption and production in the study area?

1.5 Significance of the Study

Producing enough food for Nigeria’s large and fast-growing population is a major national concern and is central to the global goal of ending hunger and improving nutrition. Because conventional animal protein is scarce and expensive, there is a need to explore additional sources in addition to ruminants and poultry. Building the capacity of farmers and extension workers in the domestication and multiplication of wild species such as snails, and in the cultivation of mushrooms, is one way of doing this.

The information from this study will create awareness that can lead to increased production and marketing of snails and mushrooms for household consumption. It will also help farmers to set up profitable, innovative and sustainable enterprises, which will raise their incomes while conserving biodiversity. The study also examines the different marketing channels for mushrooms and snails, and it will draw the attention of commercial producers and consumers to the constraints on snail production and to the importance of quality assurance and food standards. Forestry departments and extension agencies can use the findings to design awareness programmes, particularly to address the fear of poisonous mushrooms. The findings will also be of interest to researchers, policy makers, scientists, producers and consumers.

References

Adewale, C. I., & Belewu, K. Y. (2022). Economic analysis of snail production and its contribution to food security of farming households in Nigeria. Agricultura Tropica et Subtropica, 55, 159–168. https://doi.org/10.2478/ats-2022-0017

Adeyeye, S. A. O., Bolaji, O. T., Abegunde, T. A., & Adesina, T. O. (2020). Processing and utilization of snail meat in alleviating protein malnutrition in Africa: A review. Nutrition & Food Science, 50(6), 1085–1097. https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-08-2019-0261

Baghele, M., Mishra, S., Meyer-Rochow, V. B., Jung, C., & Ghosh, S. (2022). A review of the nutritional potential of edible snails: A sustainable underutilized food resource. Indian Journal of Natural Products and Resources, 13(4), 419–433. https://doi.org/10.56042/ijnpr.v13i4.47930

Oguntoye, T. O., Adesope, A. A., Fatoki, O. A., Arowolo, O. V., Olawale, O. O., & Oyetoki, A. O. (2022). Mushroom consumption pattern among residents of Ibadan metropolis in Oyo State, Nigeria. Agro-Science, 21(1), 34–38. https://doi.org/10.4314/as.v21i1.6

Oguntoye, T. O., Fatoki, O. A., Adetola, O. O., Arowolo, O. V., & Tokede, A. M. (2020). Households’ consumption pattern of snail (Archachatina species) in Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management, 24(7), 1267–1271. https://doi.org/10.4314/jasem.v24i7.20

Okomadu, C. A., & Adedokun, O. M. (2017). Wild and domesticated mushroom consumption in Nigeria. African Crop Science Journal. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/acsj/article/view/152338

Tanyitiku, M. N. (2022). Nutritious food and health risks: A review on the edible land snails of Africa. Journal of Food Safety and Hygiene, 8(2).