Shewatuck Fellows

Empowering people and community…

The Fellows Program was founded to create an equitable and collaborative community of practitioners establishing inventive and community beneficial financial relationships within the Rhode Island food system. All work achieved within the Incubator and farm enterprise is accomplished through partnership. There is no labor-for-hire. 

The Incubator hosts the Fellows Program and provides a complete suite of resources and services to incubate and fund new farm/food ventures and community improvement projects that support a thoughtful food system.

Our Fellows

  • Violet Anderson

    joined the Program early in the 2022 season. She has four years of experience growing with Big Train Farm in Rhode Island. Violet is a practicing artist, developing further agro-ecological growing experience as she considers how to further expand her artistic skills into her passion for farming and food systems.

  • Jo Anna Cassino

    joined the Program in 2020. Jo Anna is an herbalist and has developed a line of hair and skin care products, herbal teas and medicines under the Botanic Providence label. She is co-developing herbal growing operations at the Farm and also leads product processing for herbal tinctures and other products in the Farm facilities.

  • Jesse Coker

    began working with the Incubator and Farm in 2018/19 as Associate Farm Manager. He is a former United States Peace Corps volunteer (RPCV Uganda 2010–’12) who worked extensively on community gardens and small business development. In 2020 he entered the Fellows Program, developing an outdoor mushroom operation at Shewatuck Farm.

  • David DeFrancesco

    has been farm and property manager of Shewatuck Farm since its 2018/19 inception. He has been working to improve the health and viability of the 91 acre property through an Agro-ecological Restoration Plan in addition to managing day to day operations associated with establishing Shewatuck Farm as a successful for-profit subsidiary of the Rhode Island Farm Incubator 501(c)(3).

  • Liam Dillon

    joined the Program in mid-season 2021. He has been working closely with David DeFrancesco on improvements to some of Shewatuck’s agro-ecological practices - with particular attention to bare ground growing and cultivation.

  • Christian Roberge

    has been Marketing and Sales Director of Shewatuck Farm since its 2018/19 inception and serves as the resident plant health expert. He also works on cultivation of medicinal remedies - establishing seasonal crops of native elderberry, tumeric and ginger at the farm.

  • Sarra Sundstrom

    joined the Program mid-season 2021. A New Jersey native, she grew up in a restaurant, and prior to moving to Rhode Island served on the board of a participatory co-op dining group. She is currently developing opportunities to bring people back on the farm, including workshops, volunteer opportunities, and a participant driven farm-to-table dining program.

  • Charlotte Uwimpuhwe

    was an early Fellow, beginning in 2019. Charlotte is an experienced grower of Rwandan, African and native New England vegetables/herbs operating her own enterprise. She utilizes the property to grow a variety of specialty and heirloom crops that she sells at multiple farmers’ markets, to other farmers, and to her neighbors/friends.

The services provided by the Incubator vary based on the needs of each Fellow, the stage of their respective project, and their current operational challenges and needs. Additionally, the Program integrates an active educational component - oriented to improve the Fellows’ interactions with people, plants, animals, and the soil. The Program duration depends on both the needs of the project-in-development and the Fellow.

If you are interested in learning more about the program, please contact Richard Pace: rpace@landtruth.com