(29 Apr 2016) LEAD IN:
Conservationists in Cameroon are training farmers to breed weevil grubs in an attempt to curb deforestation.
Weevil grubs are a popular snack in the country.
Larvae grow in the trunks of rotting palm trees and farmers have been cutting down more and more of the forest to meet the high demand.
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Farmer Basile Eyenga is harvesting home-grown palm weevil grubs.
The undulating larvae are popular to eat in Cameroon, where even high-end restaurants create dishes with them.
These grubs have been grown in plastic boxes, with plenty of palm tree bark to feed on, but they usually grow in the bark of rotting palm trees.
Eyenga lives in the village of Obout, approximately 60 kilometres (37 miles) from the capital Yaounde.
He says farming weevils in this way is a more effective method than going out into the forest to cut down trees.
"The difference is that before, I had to go to the bush to bring down raffia trees. When I wanted to earn a lot of money, I was obliged to spend approximately one week in the bush to bring down many trees and harvest enough (weevils). On the other hand, as for the breeding, I just bring down one small tree, I collect fibres of the tree to feed the larvae. It is easier here in the village," he says.
The non-governmental organisation (NGO) the Living Forest Trust is teaching farmers like Eyenga how to breed weevils domestically to try to protect the forests.
The NGO established a grub farming system with the support of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the French Research Institute for Development (IRD).
"Here it is adults who produce maggots. In my right hand, it's the male, in the left the female," explains John Muafor, co-founder of the Living Forest Trust.
"We put the male and the female in a box for the fertilisation. Two days after the fertilisation, the female lay eggs. The eggs are transferred in this breeding box. We feed them with the fibres of raffia so that larvae develop at the end of 25 to 30 days."
The Living Forest Trust has carried out research with the help of CIFOR and the IRD showing that breeding weevil larvae in this way gives significantly higher yields than the traditional harvesting method.
"One foot of raffia which could produce 120 to 180 maggots in the forest allows us to produce 10 times the same quantity in the village," says Muafor.
The larvae of the African Palm weevil (Rhynchophorus phoenicis) are popular to eat because they are rich in protein, fat, carbohydrate and nutrients, comparable to meat and fish, according to the Living Forest Trust.
Demand has been outstripping supply so prices are high - turning weevil grubs into a luxury dish.
It's hoped the breeding initiative will lead to a better supply of the grubs.
"I think it is a fantastic move forward, because in terms of nature conservation, the initiative is really welcomed," says chef and culinary critic Emile Engoulou.
Engoulou says weevil grubs are his most popular dish at the restaurant "Cercle Municipal" in Yaounde and have the potential to put Cameroonian cuisine on the map.
"For me, it is a really high-end meal which is part of the future, not only of Cameroonian food but also the Cameroonian gastronomy," he says.
"You know that cooking is an everyday matter, but the gastronomy is related to savour, delicacy and taste. And I would certainly place the 'Foos', that is the larvae of palm trees or raffia, in the category of the dishes which are going to distinguish Cameroonian gastronomy."
Diner Alvine Henry Assembe says Engoulou's creation is a new way of preparing weevil grubs.
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