In 2013, a non-profit, Re:Vision, established the Ubuntu Farm to work with the local Somali Bantu refugee population. It was supposed to improve access to fresh produce, offer educational opportunities, skill training and more. Early on in 2014, it became clear Re:Vision was not delivering on its promises, and by 2015 the farm had ceased to exist. Using participant observation, interviews with farm participants and staff and a review of publicly accessible financial documents, I argue that Re:Vision maintained a conflict of mission, which contributed to their farms' failings, despite their ability to grow plenty of vegetables. From there, I attempt to identify which shortcomings were singular to Re:Vision and which were influenced by neo-liberal governance. My findings suggest that non-profits often have to choose between serving funders and their target communities. This choice can disadvantage the community, while the non-profit reaps the benefits of association with wealthy foundations and donors.
","abstract_html":"<p>In 2013, a non-profit, Re:Vision, established the Ubuntu Farm to work with the local Somali Bantu refugee population. It was supposed to improve access to fresh produce, offer educational opportunities, skill training and more. Early on in 2014, it became clear Re:Vision was not delivering on its promises, and by 2015 the farm had ceased to exist. Using participant observation, interviews with farm participants and staff and a review of publicly accessible financial documents, I argue that Re:Vision maintained a conflict of mission, which contributed to their farms' failings, despite their ability to grow plenty of vegetables. From there, I attempt to identify which shortcomings were singular to Re:Vision and which were influenced by neo-liberal governance. My findings suggest that non-profits often have to choose between serving funders and their target communities. This choice can disadvantage the community, while the non-profit reaps the benefits of association with wealthy foundations and donors.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Pang, Raymond Alexander"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.A.","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Richard Clemmer-Smith, Ph.D.","Alejandro Cerón-Valdes","Sarah Hamilton"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2018,"date_issued":"2018-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2018-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:03:19Z","subjects":["Neo-liberal","Non-profit","Political economy","Social capital","Urban agriculture","Social and Cultural Anthropology"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1407","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Richard Clemmer-Smith, Ph.D.","Alejandro Cerón-Valdes","Sarah Hamilton"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Pang, Raymond Alexander"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2018-05-02T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.A."]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Neo-liberal","Non-profit","Political economy","Social capital","Urban agriculture","Social and Cultural Anthropology"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
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"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Crafting Local Food Narratives with Immigrant Voices: Participatory Ethnography Among Somali Bantu Farmers in West Denver"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Richard Clemmer-Smith, Ph.D.","Alejandro Cerón-Valdes","Sarah Hamilton"],"dc:creator":["Pang, Raymond Alexander"],"dc:date.available":["2018-05-02T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["In 2013, a non-profit, Re:Vision, established the Ubuntu Farm to work with the local Somali Bantu refugee population. It was supposed to improve access to fresh produce, offer educational opportunities, skill training and more. Early on in 2014, it became clear Re:Vision was not delivering on its promises, and by 2015 the farm had ceased to exist. Using participant observation, interviews with farm participants and staff and a review of publicly accessible financial documents, I argue that Re:Vision maintained a conflict of mission, which contributed to their farms' failings, despite their ability to grow plenty of vegetables. From there, I attempt to identify which shortcomings were singular to Re:Vision and which were influenced by neo-liberal governance. My findings suggest that non-profits often have to choose between serving funders and their target communities. This choice can disadvantage the community, while the non-profit reaps the benefits of association with wealthy foundations and donors.
"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1407"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:rights":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
"],"dc:subject":["Neo-liberal","Non-profit","Political economy","Social capital","Urban agriculture","Social and Cultural Anthropology"],"dc:title":["Crafting Local Food Narratives with Immigrant Voices: Participatory Ethnography Among Somali Bantu Farmers in West Denver"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.A."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:03:19Z"}