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Derrick Kapayou is a member of the Tyndall Lab where he continues his research into the exploration of human and earth relationships at different scales and within different cultures. Currently, Kapayou is researching how different stakeholders appreciate the practice of agrovoltaics, how Federal policies compare to State policies regarding natural resource conservation, and the landscape scenarios that different row-crop farmers would choose as ideal when presented with varying economic and policy related conditions.

As a beginning graduate student, Kapayou used soil tests to examine varying indicators of soil health to compare Indigenous cropping practices to modern mainstream methods. He found that biodiverse cropping systems such as those found within Indigenous communities are more efficient at using applied Nitrogen out of the soil. In addition, Kapayou found a significant trend within the collaborating Indigenous communities related to their perceived improvements in physical and mental health after individuals began regularly interacting with earth through acts such as food gardening. Kapayou used his time in Indigenous communities to teach workshop attendees varying ways to track the health of their soil through time using DIY methods. He has been an invited guest presenter of his research findings at different conferences and venues around the country.

Kapayou is a PhD candidate at Iowa State University studying sustainable agriculture, he holds a Master of Science degree in sustainable agriculture, a Master of Arts degree in anthropology, and a bachelor’s degree in agronomy, all of which he obtained at Iowa State University. He is also the President of the Board of Directors for Meskwaki Hemp Supply, a company focused on producing high CBD potency cannabis for use in CBD products and for research into nanocellulose products.