Africa, data and Internet of Things (online) Edition 3

In Zinder, for 8 years, Joy Tang has worked with wild and indigenous perennials that yield foods and other economical and environmental values based on the method of Direct Seeding. It is a method using no irrigation, fertilizer nor pesticides with the rain as the only input during the rainy season. More than 120 species have been tested in the rain zone of 200-400 mm annually with 80+ species thriving into a forest. In the past 5 years, they have also exported oils from the plants to UK with our WPC Ecosystem of village collectors, inner city WPC nut and seed workers, coop operators to produce the products from our local trees. It is, therefore, the birth of the vision of Wild Perennials industry mapping in Zinder combines the identification and restoration of indigenous plants, trees, and bushes with IoT monitoring tools to build a resilient ecological and economic system.

We will record because we want to use this and other sessions to convince local actors to support the work of Joey Tang in Zinder, Niger

Rob van Kranenburg Introduction
The Internet of People for a Post-Oil World, 201!

Joy Tang on the work in Zinder on
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joytang/

David Cuarteilles, Arduino
https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-cuartielles-23bab14/

Valeria Shimkevich, Libelium, use cases in Smart Agriculture.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/valeria-shimkevich-a41079112/

To be confirmed:
Leigh Winowiecki
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leigh-winowiecki-7b3969195/

Joy says:

What do I need the most?
Evaluation of my possible essential steps towards the vision:

Ecological Mapping

• Identify and catalog indigenous wild perennials (trees, shrubs, grasses).
• Define priority zones for restoration and industry potential.

IoT Infrastructure

• Rainfall sensors, soil probes, drones/satellites for vegetation monitoring.
• Data dashboards to visualize rainfall, plant survival, and ecosystem health.

Community Training

• Workshops for farmers, youth, and technicians on IoT use and perennial management.
• Accessible materials in English and French and local languages for inclusivity.

Governance & Ownership

• Community‑led data protocols to ensure local control.
• Partnerships with local government, NGOs, and universities.

Sustainability & Industry Linkages

• Focus on perennial species with economic value (marula and desert date oils, fruit powders etc.).
• Connect ecological restoration to trade and livelihood opportunities.

In this third session on Africa and Tech will focus on the issues Joy raises.

Picture taken from Direct Seeding Method:
https://dics.co/current-affairs/direct-seeding-method