Cameroonian-born Professor Receives US Homeland Security Grant for Food Security Study

Culled from ASU News

Dr. William Nganje receives a quarter of a million dollars from the US Department of Homeland Security for his landmark study on food security.

Many of us remember or may have been affected by a recent nationwide salmonella outbreak originally thought to be caused by tainted tomatoes that was then later determined to be caused by jalapeño and serrano peppers from Mexico. By the time the cause was determined, it ended up costing both industries millions, and causing many unsuspecting consumers much discomfort.

“Such incidents illustrate the potential vulnerability in the security of imported food products,” said William Nganje, associate professor in the Morrison School of Management and Agribusiness, “and the need to develop a better tracking system.”

Nganje hopes to prevent these occurrences in the future with the help of a recently awarded $247,092 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for his latest food safety study, “Intelligent Food Defense Systems for International Supply Chains: The Case of Mexican Fresh Produce to the U.S.”

The grant allows him to find ways to identify a mechanism to prevent unsafe cargo passing through ports of entry (POE) at the U.S.-Mexico border and develop better tracking and accountability systems.

To make this possible, Nganje and Timothy Richards, professor in the Morrison School of Management and Agribusiness, are collaborating with Rene Villalobos and George Runger of ASU’s Fulton School of Engineering. Their goal is to plan an information environment that will be the backbone of a smart inspection framework. The researchers also are working with CAADES, a major stakeholder in the Mexican fruit and vegetable sector, and other Mexican institutions to address issues related to intelligent food systems.

The concept the team is working on is information technology based and would allow the collection and storage of information as agricultural products move from production to ports of entry.

According to Nganje, intelligent food-defense systems provide a potential strategy with real-time controls to mitigate the food-terrorism/food safety risks of imported products.

“Currently there is an enormous gap and risk to the imported fresh-produce supply chain for the US,” he said. “These risks have both health and economic consequences.”

The team also will conduct a detailed cost-benefit analysis of a number of alternative intelligent system technologies using dynamic “real option” economic models and will assess the feasibility of intelligent systems for the U.S.-Mexico fresh-produce supply

“Adoption of intelligent technologies by private firms on a voluntary basis will only be economically viable if the expected economic returns are greater than the costs incurred,” he said.
Arizona is a key player in the import of produce. The economies of several local communities along the U.S. border, such as Nogales, Ariz., rely on trade and food imports.

For example, the port of entry at Nogales, Ariz. processes almost 50% of the United States fresh produce traded during the winter season (October-May). Approximately 300,000 trucks pass through the Nogales port from Mexico during the year. This is an average of more than 1,400 trucks per day during the winter season, of which approximately 900 contain produce.

The value of the fruit and vegetable shipments through the Nogales is estimated at more than $2 billion annually, which accounts for more than 4 billion pounds of fresh product. A terrorist attack on the fruit and vegetable industry in Arizona would create widespread losses to this community, as well as to the entire fruit and vegetable sector in Mexico.

“Imported produce threats can be naturally occurring or caused by acts of terrorism. In either case, the response of the supply chain should be accurate, swift, automated and transparent to the end user,” said Nganje.

The study is expected to be completed in the summer 2009.

Photo courtesy ASU News.

Comments

[Ferdi]

How great to hear this?How will he contribute to food security in Cameroon?I hope he has great plan for his fatherland after this Grant.More power to your elbow.

[Kamer]

Me too, I was wondering the same thing. When I saw the heading, I was expecting to see some connection with Cameroon (apart from the guy being Cameroonian). Oh well, its still noteworthy, afterall it concerns a Paysan :)

[Etounou Charles]

Hi Camer and Ferdi, I am surprised that you guys are putting the onus on protecting food security on this guy. The onus should be on the Cameroonian system. Remember, the US Dept. of Homeland security did not hesitate to give a grant to a Cameroonian because they VALUED what he was doing? Is that possible in your native Cameroon? How many great studies by Cameroonian scholars are ignored or even degraded simply because the author is not from the right political party, from the right ethnic group or does not speak the correct colonial language.

The US has a clear and credible food security policy, so Nganje and other agriculturists can work within that context. Pray tell me, what is Cameroon's attitude towards food security? Do you guys recall the Cameroonian government's reaction to the recent major food scares (Mad cow disease, bird flu)?

BTW, I knew Dr. Nganje when he was a student at the Dschang University Center for Agriculture. Did the Cameroon government ever bother to nurture this talent? of course not! America, always welcoming to the best and the brightest, did and will benefit from Nganje's talent for decades to come.

As the article on the brain drain on this same site points out, African government, particularly the government of Cameroon, should sit up and start actively seeking its talent overseas and nurturing those within the country before the leave for greener pastures.

[Etounou Charles]

I meant "Food security in Cameroon" in the first line of my previous comment.

[Nju]

At a time when Cameroonians are making waves in the US for crime sprees (the most recent being the counterfeit scam in Georgia - http://www.beaconcast.com/articles/20081115_5) the story of Dr. Nganje is most welcome. Sure, the story is not about Cameroon but it is about a Cameroonian who can become a real role model in the Cameroonian community in the US where life on the fast lane has become the norn.

The story also has resonance considering that the previous story on this blog was how funds for food sufficiency and security were being swindled in Dr. Nganje's native Cameroon.

A heart warming piece to take us into the weekend.

[Kamer]

To the two previous commentators:

I never even implied that it is the responsibility of the gentleman to protect Cameroon's food security, talk less of saying so. Neither did I mention anywhere that I do not appreciate what the guy has done. I said, on seeing the title of the post, I thought in the course of the story, there would be some connection to Cameroon. As simple as that. No hidden innuendos. Which part of my comment did you not grasp?

[James Reuben]

Paulinus will not be interested in this guy doing similar in Camair because paysans will live longer with the result of more available people to eject him and his enrourage!

[Mbango Nnamdi]

If we paysans are not valued in Camair, we will use our expertise elsewhere. Just for the record: a 20 yr old paysans somewhere in eurozone is re-writing physics books in particular, in the areas of, space, aviation, cell phone, rapid data transfer and the design of more efficient cars.