越来越多的机会

Darius Nupolu ' 20 MSL用他的激情, 农业的经验, and land provided by Feed Iowa First to grow African crops, making them more accessible to the Cedar Rapids community.

Most mornings you can find Darius and his wife, Wealee, farming on their acre of land on Dows Farm. Their farming practices are organic and done traditionally by hand. You might see them examining crops and picking off harmful insects, or pulling up ever-persistent weeds—one at a time.

The work they do each morning on their farm is meticulous, but their day isn’t even half-way done. At 1:00 PM they put down their tools and leave to get ready for their full-time jobs.

Working full-time while maintaining the farm is difficult, but agriculture is Darius’ passion and he will do anything to pursue it.

Darius grew up in a small village in Liberia where the only source of income was farming. He learned a lot about agriculture through his parents’ and other villagers’ farms, and gained an appreciation for the traditional practice of farming by hand. Taking the next step in following his passion, he attended the University of Liberia and graduated in 2011 with a degree in agriculture.

Darius moved to the United States and chose to live in Iowa so he could pursue agriculture. In addition to wanting to farm, Darius knew he wanted to continue his education.

“I wanted to improve myself while I’m here,” Darius shared. “I didn’t only want to work in this country; I wanted to go to school to learn.”

“我想在这里提高自己. I didn’t only want to work in this country; I wanted to go to school to learn.”
- 达利斯·努波卢，20岁 MSL

他被慈悲山医院吸引了 战略领导硕士课程.

“The thing that prompted me to pursue leadership is that every sector needs a leader,大流士说。.

Darius was pleased with the classes and community he found at Mount Mercy.

“One thing I saw in Mount Mercy that really encouraged me to stay was the relationships with students and my instructors,大流士说。. “This is a diversified culture; you see people from all over the world. But when teachers get in class, they don’t care where you are from,” Darius shared. “他们对待每个人都一样——尊重.”

While talking about the importance of a strategic plan in his Critical Thinking course, 一个想法开始形成. Darius asked himself how he could use his time in the United States to help people in Liberia, and he created a business plan with his answer.

He started Future Farmers of Liberia for the Empowerment of Women. The organization provides single mothers with low-interest micro loans that allow them to grow their own food to feed their children and sell to others.

The program currently helps 75 single mothers, and its goal is to help 100 women by the end of the year.

Darius was still looking for ways to achieve his dream of having a farm and growing his own crops. That’s when his friend told him about Feed Iowa First, an organization that grows vegetables for food banks.

After he started working with Feed Iowa First as a volunteer, Darius learned about its new Equitable Land Access (ELA) program, which connects landless individuals with a background in agriculture to fertile land in the area. Darius applied and received one acre of land in 2021.

Excited to be able to put his 农业的经验 to use, 大流士已经知道他想种什么了.

In 2017—when he arrived in Cedar Rapids—he conducted a feasibility study to learn what African people in Cedar Rapids love to buy or eat, 以及他们在哪里购买这些食物.

His study helped him discover that many people were driving from Cedar Rapids to Minnesota to buy African crops.

“I told my wife, ‘I think we can venture into this and see what the outcome is.“当爱荷华饲料公司第一次给我们那亩地的时候, 我们认为, ‘Ok, 是时候种植非洲蔬菜了.’”

Darius and his wife started growing their crops and providing them to people in and around Cedar Rapids.

他们卖掉了很多蔬菜, it is also important to them to share some of the crops at no cost.

“We do not waste the food; we share it with those who need it,大流士说。. “我们的目标是获得更多的农田, 建造一个农场, and share with people because not everyone is able to 建造一个农场.”

Darius hopes to work and retire within the agricultural field. He wants to continue farming African vegetables–growing and giving back to the Cedar Rapids community.