ASSIGNMENT

DISCUSS IN DETAILS HOW AN INNOVATION IS DEVELOPED AND COMMERCIALIZED.

A NEW INTEREST IN DOMESTICATION OF SNAILS IN NIGERIA: PROSPECTS

There is no gainsaying that the protein intake of Nigerians is generally low. This is despite the fact that a myriad of livestock abound in the area. Before now the impression is that few livestock products were available but the recent happening shows that this impression is wrong. Nigerians have now been exposed to a variety of livestock to such a level that they are left with many choices to make. The reawakening among Agriculturists is also laudable.

            Recently, the minilivestock industry has gained the attention and interest of agricultural scientists and some other individuals in Nigeria. Snail farming is one of such recent technologies in the minilivestock industry. Snail meat is commonly known as Congo meat especially in traditional rural setting. Children are the major collectors of snail from the wild and they sell to women who sell them at the markets or at roadsides for high prices. A lot of hazards are experienced in collecting snails from the wild and this is one of the reasons adduced to the high price it commands in the market. Information on the farming and domestication of snails has scanty and this is the major inhibition to full-scale snail farming. However, Agricultural scientists have made useful contributions on the methods of snail farming for home consumption and commercial purposes.

            In Nigeria and many parts of West Africa, the Giant African snail is common. Two species that prevail include Achatina achatina and Archarchatina marginata. By all ramifications, A. marginata is the best for its large size when fully matured and shell length, which affect its meat mass. It also lays more eggs within the breeding season. This snail is preferred in Nigeria, while A. achatina is preferred in Ghana.

            Snail meat is highly nutritious and contains a high level of protein. Apart from this its medicinal importance in the treatment of cough, hypertension and some other ailments are known. There are therefore great potentials in snail farming but for lack of information on its management techniques. Export potentials exist in snail farming because Giant African snails are consumed in many parts of West Africa and some parts of Europe and America. For an investor this is very important information, for instance A. achatina is preferred in Ghana as against A. marginata. To export to Ghana, a Nigerian investor then needs this information to enable him breed Achatina achatina on a large scale. However, in the west and southern part of Nigeria Archachatina marginata is the best for breeding purposes. Livestock extension therefore needs to intensify efforts to bring this vital information to farmers so that they can be adequately equipped for production. Agricultural agencies that are into rural development should bear this in mind. Capacity building in this regard cannot be overlooked. In view of this, the formation of Cooperatives that will take snail farming as a venture is being encouraged. Technical assistance has been provided to a few Non-Governmental Organizations and they have started operating in this regard. Community Snail Farming (CSF) is another potential area that can be exploited. This will ensure that snails are readily available either for export purposes or large scale supplies to interested individuals and groups. The author is an advocate of this practice. It is presumed that if a great representation of the community goes into the CSF project, diffusion will be more effective and this has great implications for adoption of snail domestication.

Olufemi Martins Adesope, PhD is a Senior Lecturer in Agricultural Extension and a consultant Agro-Rural livelihood development. He can be contacted at Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Email: omadesope@yahoo.co.uk

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Are female scientists better cooks?

Just reflecting on all the cooking i have done in the past 12 hours or so.Time check is 2am Nigerian time and i lie completely exhausted on my bed.

I go through this every time i am about to attend a conference, workshop or training that takes me away from my family of seven and a husband who is very particular about his food.As a career scientist attending such meetings is imperative but takes a backseat to my family as such to balance things out i always do marathon cooking and at the end my freezer is stocked with an assortment of meals enough to feed an army for weeks.

This time around i really did it and even my fussy husband had to admit it.i cooked chicken stew,egusi soup,banga soup,vegetable soup,curry sauce,fried rice,stewed snails,stewed gizzard,isi-ewu,nkwobi and fresh fish pepper soup all a minimum of three bowls each.Anyone who understands Nigerian cuisine will appreciate that this is quite a feat.

So i wonder if other female scientists with families go through this ritual if yes, we certainly make better cooks.

Obioma Agokei.

How to Embed Video into your blog

The first thing to do is to upload your video to YouTube. You DON'T need to register on YouTube because it is a Google service and as such, you can log in using your Gmail account.

After uploading the video, ensure that you choose "Public" and not "Unlisted" under Privacy. Save your video. Look out for "Embed" under "Sharing Options" copy the code and paste into the HTML tab in your blog post.

Enjoy this video I shot at the Ibadan Workshop featuring the oldest participant in any of our workshops so far. This grandmother from the United States is so passionate about Africa and Nigeria that she abandoned her country and has adopted Nigeria as her country and fully integrated into Yoruba culture. She has set December this year as the date she would stop speaking the "slave" language of English. She would be speaking Yoruba only. She is working hard on her Yoruba.
- Johnson Opigo

Action plan for NigerDeltaUniversity by Adata Diepiribo

I gained a lot from  Web2.0.As a beneficiary I will create an awareness in my institutions by publicizing the package.I  will start with thetools   introduction   to my coleages on campus from January 2010.
I will get to my Vice Chancellor with the training kit if it will be sponsored.