Cane rats are widely distributed and farmers expend substantial energy fencing the rodents out of their fields, but they are also valued as a source of "bushmeat" in West and Central Africa.

Like the guinea pig, their meat is of a higher protein but lower fat content than conventional livestock; it is also appreciated for its tenderness and taste.

In the savanna area of West Africa, people have traditionally captured wild cane rats and fattened them in captivity.

More recently, intensive production of cane rats has been undertaken in countries such as Benin and Togo and agricultural extension services in Cameroon,[2] Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and the Democratic Republic of Congo have also encouraged farmers to rear these rodents in rural and peri-urban areas.

There are areas where they have been over-hunted, and savanna habitat is often at risk during the dry season from bushfires, which are lit during bushmeat hunting expeditions.