A new community initiative focused on food security, wellness, and women’s economic empowerment has officially launched in Ibadan, bringing together women from different parts of Nigeria to learn practical skills in urban farming, medicinal plants, and culinary nutrition.
The inaugural edition of The Itusile Project was held on May 25, 2026, at Urban Agric Organic Experience inside the National Museum of Unity, Ibadan. The event welcomed participants from Oyo, Lagos, Ogun State, and even neighbouring Benin Republic, demonstrating growing interest in alternative approaches to food production and community health.
Founded by culinary nutrition educator and wellness advocate Chef Loola, The Itusile Project is designed to help women understand how food, health, and economic opportunity can intersect within their own communities.
Speaking during the event, Chef Loola explained that the project was created to reconnect women with traditional food knowledge while providing practical tools for modern living.
“I grew up watching Nigerian women feed their families with extraordinary instinct using plants and foods that modern science is only now catching up to. My work is about helping women remember what their grandmothers knew and giving them the science to stand behind it,” she said.
Unlike traditional classroom workshops, the event took place inside a working urban garden where participants could directly engage with the plants being discussed. Women learned how to cultivate vegetables and medicinal herbs in small spaces, identify beneficial plants, and understand their nutritional and therapeutic value.
One of the major highlights of the day was the hands-on planting session, where participants planted seedlings and learned practical techniques for growing food in limited urban environments. Attendees were also introduced to medicinal plants such as moringa, hibiscus, waterleaf, ewedu, and other locally available crops that have long been part of West African food culture.
The workshop was facilitated by Mrs. Tomi Olatoye, Founder of Urban Agric Organic Experience, who led sessions on urban agriculture and medicinal herb cultivation. Chef Loola complemented the sessions by exploring culinary medicine, demonstrating how food can support disease prevention, wellness, and healthy living.
Beyond food and health, discussions also focused on income generation. Participants were introduced to ways of transforming harvested produce into products and businesses, reinforcing the project’s broader vision of economic empowerment for women.
According to the organisers, The Itusile Project seeks to address three pressing challenges facing many Nigerian communities today: food insecurity, the growing prevalence of chronic diseases, and limited economic opportunities for women.
The event also served as the public launch of The Itusile Project as a long-term initiative. Organisers described it as a replicable community model that can be adopted across different regions, with trained women empowering others through shared knowledge and practical action.
Feedback from attendees reflected the impact of the workshop.
“The spice gift was a banger. I can’t wait to recreate it in large quantities so that I can have enough to cook with,” one participant shared after the event.
Another attendee noted that she had already begun replacing conventional seasonings with natural spice blends introduced during the workshop.
For Chef Loola, the event represented more than a successful gathering.
“The Itusile Project is named for liberation because that is what happens when a woman understands that the herb growing outside her fence can lower her blood pressure, feed her children, and become a product she sells. That is not theory. That is what happened in that garden in Ibadan. We are just getting started,” she said.
As conversations around food security, preventive healthcare, and community resilience continue across Nigeria, initiatives like The Itusile Project are demonstrating how local knowledge, practical education, and community collaboration can help create lasting change.
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