Iowa's economy and landscape has long been dominated by agriculture.

Iowa's soil is referred to as "black gold," and is some of the most fertile soil in the nation. Land along the Mississippi River was utilized by Native American farmers, and prairie land was used by white settlers in the mid 1800s. Iowa's land is now dominated by small and medium-sized farms.

Farming is deeply rooted in Iowa’s identity. During the farming crisis of the 1980s, the University of Iowa’s football team donned new helmets blazoned with the letters A-N-F: "America Needs Farmers." Then-head coach Hayden Fry pushed for the words of support knowing the economic crisis was impacting both his players and most fans. ANF remains a staple of Hawkeye athletics today.

Though Iowa land is primarily used to grow corn and soybeans, many organizations across the state have prioritized small plots of land for diverse food growing.

Wanatee Farms in Marion, Iowa, offers plots of land to underserved farmers, in partnership with nonprofit organization Feed Iowa First. One goal is to provide land access to immigrant communities to grow culturally appropriate food.

One of the farmers who uses the service for land access is Kisonia Mafuta, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kisonia said her and her family ate primarily from their own half-acre garden in her home village. This prompted Kisonia into an agricultural career.

Kisonia earned a bachelor’s in business administration and information technology as well as a master’s in rural development in Uganda.

She currently grows an assortment of vegetables including tomatoes, peppers, white eggplants, amaranth, Nakati vegetables (bitter leaf for soups or salads), turnips, Egyptian spinach, and water spinach.

"This is my therapy," Kisonia said. "You have too much stress in America. When I’m in the garden, no stress. You’re forgetting what you have.”

Kisonia is also a mother to four children.

The Mafuta children receive pocket money for helping in the garden.

Last year, they pooled their money to buy a tablet.

But Kisonia said she is working to give her children something greater than money.

“What we are doing today is not for my own purpose but for them. It’s for them to grow up to be smart. To learn more skills while they are still young.”

The family is getting ready to visit South Africa and Uganda. It will be the children’s first time in Africa.

They have been excitedly talking to their mother about what to expect.

They cannot visit the DRC because of the ongoing conflict.

They are most looking forward to meeting their grandmother for the first time in person.

The children are helping to plant everything before the trip.

They still find plenty of time to be kids.