Why Every Yorùbá State Needs an Oko Ifá

Every Yorùbá state should have an Oko Ifá (Ifá Farm) just as we have Igbo Ifá (Ifá Groves). The time has come for us to build structures that not only preserve our spirituality but also sustain it in a practical, economic, and communal way. Spirituality cannot thrive without material support, and our sacred practices deserve an organized system that provides the very things we need to keep them alive.

The vision of Oko Ifá is simple but powerful. Wealthy Ifá and Òrìṣà priests, priestesses, and devoted practitioners can come together to acquire hectares of land across Yorùbá states. These farms would be dedicated to cultivating and nurturing the herbs, plants, and natural resources we use daily for ẹbọ (sacrifice), rituals, divination, healing, and spiritual balance. Instead of searching endlessly for materials in scattered markets or paying exorbitant prices to middlemen, practitioners would have a direct, reliable, and sacred source of supply.

This model creates several benefits. First, it secures the availability of materials that are becoming increasingly scarce due to urbanization, deforestation, and neglect of indigenous farming. Second, it ensures that these materials are cultivated with spiritual consciousness, in alignment with the sacredness of Ifá and Òrìṣà practices. Third, it allows affordability—priests, priestesses, and devotees can access what they need at fair and reduced prices, keeping spirituality from becoming a burden.

Beyond this, Oko Ifá can create a new dimension of community wealth and empowerment. Young Isese practitioners can find employment and training opportunities on these farms, learning not just the spiritual uses of plants but also agricultural skills that sustain life. It can become a model of eco-spiritual entrepreneurship, where our heritage directly feeds both our faith and our economy.

Imagine every Yorùbá state having its own Oko Ifá—a sacred farm that serves as a living library of our plants, a marketplace of our ritual materials, and a sanctuary where tradition and livelihood meet. This is how we preserve Isese in a fast-changing world. This is how we take ownership of our spirituality in both prayer and practice.

The establishment of Oko Ifá is not just a dream. It is a necessity. If we do not create it now, future generations may struggle to find the very materials that define our traditions. But if we act, we leave behind a structure that secures our faith, supports our people, and reminds the world that the Yorùbá spiritual heritage is not only alive but also self-sustaining.