Local 49 and the Soul City Farming Cooperative

Local 49 Mehal Sefari in Selma, Alabama, grows together with the Soul City Farming Cooperative through community farming and shared work.

On Friday, October 30, 2026, Queen Iffiya, 1st Elected Member of Local 49 Mehal Sefari and member of its Agricultural Committee, from Birmingham, Alabama, spent the day working the land with the Soul City Farming Cooperative and members of the North Carolina Rastafari Union.

Baskets in hand, they walked the rows, harvested squash among the yellow blossoms and pruned the vines, guided by the experience of the farmers who tend this land.

Growing food, growing community

Agriculture has always held a place in the life of the Federation. To grow food is to care for the health of our families, to keep traditional knowledge alive and to build a measure of self-reliance.

Days like this one also connect people. Members of different organizations met in the same field, shared their skills and returned home with a harvest and new ties.

This is cooperation in practice: Unity, Solidarity and Self-Determination, one row at a time.

The Agricultural Committee of Local 49

Through its Agricultural Committee, Local 49 Mehal Sefari encourages its members to learn, grow and share. Working alongside farming cooperatives is a way to gain hands-on experience and to strengthen the links between our communities.

Learn more about Local 49 Mehal Sefari on its own website: mehalsefari.org

Photos from the day

Walking the squash rows

A guided tour of the fields

Harvesting yellow squash

Pruning the vines

*Is your Local working on a garden, a farm or a community project? Send us your photos and a few lines for the Journal.*