About this module
Snails need shade, damp soil and leaves, not big land or heavy work. Chop bars say they cannot get enough of them.
Who it is for. People with no formal certificate, including persons with disabilities and carers who work at home. National Proficiency I is a bridging level for people with minimal education.
Why snails
- Chop bars in Accra struggle to get enough snails, and serve snail soup at GH¢30–60 a plate; farmers sold mature snails at about GH¢15 each in 2024.
- Wild snails are getting scarcer because of pesticides and bush fires. Farmed snails fill the gap.
- CSIR and MoFA trained about 1,500 farmers and extension officers in snail farming.
- Snail rearing is taught to persons with disabilities in Ghana, for example by Atwima Kwanwoma District Assembly in 2026 and Social Enterprise Ghana.
CTVET status. No CTVET standard for snail rearing was found. This module is not a CTVET curriculum. CSIR's Forestry Research Institute leads snail training in Ghana. It follows Agromisa's snail farming guide and an FAO booklet.
How the module works
Each unit has learning outcomes, performance criteria, the range and the evidence your assessor needs. You are judged Competent or Not Yet Competent from what your assessor sees, asks and reads in your logbook. About 70% of the time is practical, following CTVET's Oil Palm programme, which uses about 30% in school and 70% at the workplace.
Unit 1 · Work safely and prepare safe food
Snails are healthy food when cooked well. Raw or undercooked snails can carry a dangerous worm.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 1.1 Handle snails hygienically | wears gloves or washes hands after handling |
| 1.2 Prepare snails safely | starves, cleans and boils snails thoroughly |
| 1.3 Avoid harmful practices | never uses pesticides or salt near snails |
Range. Farm and kitchen. Evidence. Observation; oral questions.
Rat lungworm
People catch rat lungworm by eating raw or undercooked snails, or from their hands while preparing raw snails, or from contaminated vegetables. It can cause meningitis. Always cook snails thoroughly, wash hands and surfaces after handling raw snails, and wash vegetables well.
Preparing snails (Agromisa)
Starve snails for about four days to empty the gut, wash them with salt and vinegar or lemon until the water runs clear, and boil thoroughly.
Salt and chemicals
Salt kills snails by drawing water out of their bodies. Keep salt, fertiliser, manure and compost out of pens.
Safe kitchen
- Practise handwashing after handling snails.
- With the trainer, starve, clean and boil snails; time the boil.
- Clean all surfaces and tools afterwards.
Teach the rule
Teach your household: snails must always be cooked well, and hands washed after handling raw ones.
Unit 2 · Know your snails
Choose the right snail. Native giant snails grow big and sell well.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 2.1 Name the species | tells the main farmed species apart |
| 2.2 Know the life cycle | describes eggs, hatching and growth |
| 2.3 Know their needs | states temperature, humidity and soil needs |
Range. Achatina achatina, Archachatina marginata. Evidence. Identification; oral questions.
The two farmed species
| Achatina achatina (giant Ghana tiger snail) | Archachatina marginata | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Shell up to 25 cm | About 20 cm, about 500 g |
| Eggs per clutch | 30–300 | 4–18 |
| Hatching | Usually 2–3 weeks | About 4 weeks |
| Maturity | 14–20 months | 10–12 months |
Growing to full size takes about two years if well fed; Ghanaian farmers say 1.5–2 years.
What snails need
Temperature of 25–30 °C, humidity of 75–95% all year, and loose, calcium-rich soil that is damp but not wet. Below 70–75% humidity or above 30 °C they seal themselves and stop growing. Wind dries them out.
Snail study
- Examine both species; measure and weigh five of each.
- Check the soil with your hand: damp, loose, not wet.
- Record temperature and humidity at the site twice a day for a week.
Market visit
Visit a market. Which snail species are sold, at what size and price?
Unit 3 · Build boxes and pens
Good housing keeps snails in, enemies out, and the soil damp.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 3.1 Build a hutch box | builds a box with mesh lid and soil bed |
| 3.2 Prepare soil | fills with loose soil at the right depth |
| 3.3 Stop escapes and enemies | uses mesh, buried fencing and ant barriers |
Range. Hutch boxes, tyre pens, trench pens. Evidence. Built housing checked by the assessor.
Housing
| Type | Size | Holds |
|---|---|---|
| Hutch box | 60 × 60 × 30 cm | 3–5 adults |
| Trench pen | 0.6–1 m square, raised 40–50 cm | 10–15 adults |
| 3–4 stacked tyres | — | about 4 adults |
Use 10–25 cm of loose soil and replace it every three months. Roof with thatch or palm fronds, not iron sheets, which get hot.
Keep enemies out
Rats, shrews, frogs, birds, lizards, snakes, ants and thieves all take snails. Cover pens with net, bury the fence about 20 cm deep, and stand box legs in tins of water to stop ants. Neem leaves also help keep ants away.
Build housing
- Build a hutch box with a mesh lid and legs.
- Set the legs in water tins.
- Build a three-tyre pen.
- Fill both with loose soil and dry leaves.
Plan your space
Measure a shady corner at home. How many hutch boxes would fit?
Unit 4 · Feed, water and protect
Leaves, fruit, calcium and water, every evening. Snails feed at night.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 4.1 Feed correctly | gives leaves, fruits and calcium in the evening |
| 4.2 Water and spray | keeps water dishes and soil damp |
| 4.3 Keep clean | removes old food; changes soil |
| 4.4 Spot problems | recognises sick snails and pests |
Range. Daily care. Evidence. Feeding record; observation.
Feeding
- Leaves: cocoyam, pawpaw, cassava, okra. Fruits: banana, mango, pawpaw. Also cabbage, orange and pineapple, fed in the evening.
- Calcium for the shell: crushed oyster shell, ground limestone or eggshells.
- Water in shallow dishes or a soaked sponge.
- Never feed hairy leaves or poisonous plants such as physic nut (Jatropha).
Health
Watch for parasitic flies, mites and bacterial infections; keep pens covered and clean. Houseflies can cause fatal sores, and big snails eat hatchlings, so separate by age.
Daily care week
- Feed every evening; record what and how much.
- Spray the soil when dry; refill water.
- Remove old food each morning.
- Check for pests and sick snails; record.
Free feed
List leaves and fruit waste you can collect free near your home.
Unit 5 · Breed and raise young snails
Good breeding stock and protected eggs are the start of a bigger farm.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 5.1 Choose breeders | picks healthy, mature snails |
| 5.2 Protect eggs | finds egg clutches and moves or protects them |
| 5.3 Raise hatchlings | keeps hatchlings separate at the right density |
Range. Breeding boxes; hatchling boxes. Evidence. Breeding records; hatchling survival.
Stocking density
| Stage | Snails per m² |
|---|---|
| Hatchlings | more than 100 |
| Growers | 30–40 |
| Breeders | 10–15 |
Snails dig about 20 cm down to lay eggs.
How many eggs? One snail company claims 400–500 eggs a year per snail with 95–100% hatching. Agromisa gives 30–300 eggs per clutch for A. achatina and far fewer for A. marginata. Plan on the lower numbers.
Breeding records
- Set up a breeding box with mature snails.
- Check weekly for eggs; record date and number.
- Move hatchlings to a separate box; record survival each month.
Breeding calendar
Draw a calendar for one year: when you expect eggs, hatching and sales.
Unit 6 · Your location and business ideas
A shady corner near home can be a farm. Sell close to the chop bars.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 6.1 Choose a site | scores a site with the checklist |
| 6.2 Add income ideas | plans at least three extra lines |
Range. Real or planned site. Evidence. Site report; business plan.
Choosing a site
- Shade and cool. Under trees or a thatch roof.
- Damp but well drained. Soil where leafy vegetables grow well.
- Out of the wind and above flood level.
- No pesticides sprayed nearby.
- Close to home so you can guard against thieves.
- Close to buyers: chop bars, markets, homes.
- Reachable from a wheelchair if needed.
Ideas to earn more
- Sell breeding stock and hatchlings to new farmers.
- Snail kebabs and meat pies.
- Shells: ground snail shell can replace part of the oyster shell in layer feed.
- Train others in your community.
- Combine with mushrooms or bees, as CSIR trainings do.
- Live storage: live snails keep 6–8 weeks in boxes with sawdust, so you can sell when prices are high.
Snail slime cosmetics? Interest is growing, but the science on skin benefits is still small, and Ghana's snail slime industry is underdeveloped. Treat it as a future idea, not a first business.
Ten buyers
Ask ten chop bars, market women or neighbours how many snails they buy and at what price.
Unit 7 · Market yourself and manage the money
Snails are slow to grow. Plan for two years, start small, and sell when supply is short.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 7.1 Market yourself | finds regular buyers and sets prices |
| 7.2 Plan the money | works out costs, time to first sale and profit |
| 7.3 Keep records | records stock, feed, sales and deaths |
Range. The trainee's planned farm. Evidence. Business plan; record book.
Selling
- Chop bars say supply is short.
- Prices are higher from December to March, the dry season.
- CSIR describes snail meat as rich in protein and iron and low in fat.
- Keep regular customers by delivering live, healthy snails on time.
Small start or big package? Some companies sell greenhouse snail packages for GH¢24,000 to GH¢200,000, while farm-gate prices are about GH¢15 a snail and snails take 1.5–2 years to grow. Start with a few boxes, learn, then grow.
Your first two years
You build 4 hutch boxes (GH¢150 each) and buy 20 breeders at GH¢15. Feed is mostly free leaves; calcium and sundries cost GH¢20 a month. After 2 years you have 300 market-size snails to sell at GH¢15. (1) Start-up cost? (2) Running cost for 24 months? (3) Sales? (4) Profit over two years?
Launch plan
- Write a two-year plan: boxes, breeders, feed, expected sales.
- List three regular buyers.
- Start a record book: date, stock, eggs, deaths, feed, sales.
First order
Agree a future order with one chop bar or buyer.
Glossary
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Aestivation | Sealing the shell and resting in dry, hot weather |
| Breeders | Mature snails kept for laying eggs |
| Clutch | One group of eggs |
| Competent / Not Yet Competent | The two possible results of a CBT assessment |
| Hatchling | A newly hatched snail |
| Hutch box | A wooden box pen for snails |
| Rat lungworm | A worm that can infect people who eat undercooked snails |
Logbook
Copy these pages into an exercise book. Your logbook is part of your assessment evidence.
- Unit 1: safe preparation record
- Unit 2: measurements; climate records
- Unit 3: housing built
- Unit 4: feeding and care records
- Unit 5: breeding and hatchling records
- Unit 6: site report; ten buyers
- Unit 7: two-year plan; record book
- Every homework, dated
Self-check quiz
- How can people catch rat lungworm from snails?
- How do you prepare snails safely?
- Why keep salt away from snails?
- Name the two native species to farm.
- What humidity do snails need?
- How many adults does a 60 × 60 cm hutch box hold?
- How do you stop ants?
- Name three calcium sources.
- When are snail prices highest?
- How long do snails take to reach market size?
Further reading and sources
Best next reads: Agromisa's Snail Farming (Agrodok 47); CSIR-FORIG's snail training.
What this module does not cover: greenhouse snail systems, processing for export (the USA bans African giant snails), and Takoradi snail prices (not found; check locally).
Every source used in this manual is listed, with links, in the Teacher Copy.