Urban farm manager Anita Franchetti, who helped transform abandoned lots into lush food forests in the midst of a food desert in Liberty City, has died.
As manager of Cerasee Farm, an Urban GreenWorks project, she oversaw plantings of freeform raised beds of vegetables, butterfly-attracting plants, moringa and fruit trees, providing food for the neighborhood and farmers markets.
Cerasee Farm grew into a training program for local women coming out of prison, addiction and abusive relationships. The Mustard Seed Project, a Florida-based nonprofit, provided horticulture jobs and gardening skills to women in recovery, the formerly incarcerated or women from marginalized neighborhoods. In addition to managing the farm, Franchetti, a Mustard Seed client, taught student volunteers from elementary school, high school and college, and worked with neighborhood youth. At a national convention of the American Horticultural Therapy Association in 2017, she spoke about the program’s impact on her own life.
“I think everything can be rehabilitated,” she said.
Franchetti at work
“Franchetti’s presence at the farm in Liberty City allowed for us to really get to know the people in the community,” says Roger Horne, executive director of Urban GreenWorks. “With her there to sit and talk with folks, Cerasee became a respite for peace and quiet in a chaotic life.”
Franchetti was regarded by colleagues as an inspiration. “I love Anita for her honesty with her life. She taught me a lot,” Horne adds. “We will miss her dearly.”
