About

It was one quiet evening in September 2021, when I was out in front of our house, tending to a flower bed, that I heard a whisper — not from the wind, but from deep within my spirit. A divine calling to start a farm. At that moment, I was an adjunct professor teaching geology at a couple of universities, a career I had worked hard to establish. Farming was the last thing on my mind. I shared this unexpected revelation with my wife, and her first question was, “Who is going to do it?” I let the idea simmer in my mind for a while. But about a month later, she came back to me and said, “Let’s do it.” Despite having no land and zero commercial farming experience, we decided to take a step of faith. We purchased more than 25 acres in Pittsburg, Texas, and established DITAWA Organic Farm. While this call seemed sudden, I now realize that my entire life had been preparing me for this moment. I have vivid memories of the first plant I ever planted when I was just six years old. That simple act sparked a lifelong fascination with growing, and I’ve always had a passion for planting. When we moved to the U.S. for graduate school, I was among the founding members of a community garden at the University of Texas at Dallas. After graduating, I helped establish a garden in our neighborhood. Over the years, I’ve cultivated a deep connection to the food I grew up eating, especially the vegetables that are central to African cuisine. This love for planting and the desire to eat the vegetables I grew up with is what drives DITAWA Farm. As an African in the diaspora, I know there are many others who long for the same fresh, authentic vegetables we once enjoyed at home. There’s a gap that needs filling — and we at DITAWA are committed to doing just that.