Donald B. Kraybill

Nonagricultural micro-enterprise development among the Pennsylvania Amish: A new phenomenon

Abstract The economic character of Amish communities shows signs of considerable change. Amish traditionally have depended on farming, and until recently, nonagricultural work was cause for excommunication from the church. The traditional farming base, however, is increasingly unable to provide the jobs and income necessary for the growing population. In response, there has been a rapid growth in nonagricultural micro-enterprises. The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature of this phenomenon in the Lancaster Settlement in Pennsylvania, the largest Amish settlement in Pennsylvania, and the earliest and still second largest in North America. The paper analyzes the characteristics of the Amish entrepreneurs, their businesses and markets, with comparisons with the standard entrepreneurial literature. The Amish entrepreneurs are found to be quite similar in many ways to entrepreneurs in general, but differ considerably in other aspects. Also, they often differ from popular perception, especially the newer Amish entrepreneurs. Results indicate that the newer Amish entrepreneurs are more dynamic and outward looking than the previous generation; perhaps more in the mold of nonAmish entrepreneurs. The success of the Amish entrepreneurs holds potential lessons for general rural business development strategies.

Farm-Related Injuries Among Old Order Anabaptist Children: Developing a Baseline from Which to Formulate and Assess Future Prevention Strategies

ABSTRACT Old Order Anabaptists are a religiously based North American subculture that is often identified with simple lifestyles, limited reliance on modern technologies, and unique farming methods, including dependence upon horse-drawn vehicles and farm equipment. Members of this group generally have large numbers of children and begin involving them in work around the home or farm at an early age. Children are called upon to participate in a wide range of activities that most farm children are no longer exposed to due to the adoption of modern technologies and changing roles of children in contemporary society. Preliminary research suggested that farm-related injuries and fatalities may be an increasing problem among Old Order Anabaptist children, thus posing the need for a better understanding of causative factors, which could then contribute to the design of more effective intervention strategies. This present study employed a national injury surveillance process to expand Purdue Universitys Old Order Anabaptist Injury Database in order to develop a baseline of Old Order child-related farm injury information for the year 2002 and then analyzed that data in reference to specific underlying factors. From the expanded database, 217 farm-related injuries to children under the age of 18 from 14 states and Canada were identified as having occurred during the year 2002. The most common primary source of injury was falls, and the most common nature of injury was bone fractures. The age of victim most commonly reported was 14, with the peaks in injuries occurring at ages 3–4 and 13–15. Culture-specific factors played a role in many of the incidents, the main ones being direct animal contact, hay-hole falls, and horse-drawn equipment runovers. Fourteen of the 217 recorded injuries resulted in fatalities, of which 6 were attributed to equipment runovers and the rest to a crush or pin, a fall, being struck by an object, direct animal contact, or engulfment in feed/grain. Animal behavior was cited as the secondary source of injury in 6 of the fatality cases. Based upon the findings of this study, a body of recommendations was developed for formulating culturally sensitive childhood injury prevention strategies in Old Order communities for use by parents, Old Order parochial school teachers, employers, extension educators, health workers, and others. Those recommendations focus specifically on resources and actions for each group involved as well as on possible topics for further research. The baseline data also provides a means to assess the impact of future injury prevention efforts targeting the Old Order population.

Sources of enterprise success in Amish communities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to disseminate the success of enterprise development activities initiated by a voluntary organization working in Kanyakumari District of India. Design/methodology/approach – The paper was prepared in discussion with rural artisans and staff of voluntary organization. Findings – It was found that the indigenous palm candy production gave better livelihood for the Nadar community whose prime occupation is harvesting of palm products. Even though the community was in the lowest ebb of the society, proper enterprise capacity building, value addition to palm product like palm candy, marketing and access to credit have paved way for the development of the community. The institutions promoted by Palmyrah Workers Development Society catered to the enterprise intervention of the community thereby increasing the income level of the families. Even though globalization is a threat for rural artisan products, the concept of green and fair trade is providing avenues for rural enterprise. Research limitations/implications – The study was restricted within a particular community and within a given geographical area. Practical implications – Even though palm candy is having good market at international market, quality control and eco-certification is a problem at field level. Originality/value – The paper illustrates how a backward community has developed enterprise skills and achieved better livelihood options.

Amish enterprise: the collective power of ethnic entrepreneurship

This paper examines how Amish communities build and sustain enterprises that produce and/or sell goods to both ethnic and non-ethnic markets. Based on qualitative research including interviews with 161 Amish entrepreneurs in 23 communities in the USA, the authors develop a transformative model of ethnic community entrepreneurship. The analytical model conceptualises the dynamic interaction between three forces/agents – cultural constraints, cultural resources, entrepreneurs – and shows how they shape the character of small businesses, which, in turn, transform the ethnic community that conceived them. The results demonstrate how culture, community, and ethnic context mediate the nature, size, and function of ethnic enterprises.

Culturally Competent Safety Interventions for Children in Old Order Anabaptist Communities

ABSTRACT This commentary describes the challenges of child safety interventions in Old Order Amish and Mennonite communities in North America. It proposes nine culturally sensitive interventions appropriate for these separatist communities.

The Provost's Seminar: Building Community and Commitment

A thorough orientation program for new educators can do more than introduce them to and make them more comfortable at their new institution—it has the ability to nurture a culture of learning and build important bridges between academic and student affairs.

Symposium Review of "The Amish" by Donald Kraybill, Karen Johnson-Weiner, and Steven Nolt

The Amish is a 500-some page university press-sized handbook that touches on a variety of topical areas. The book is the culmination of two and a half decades each of Kraybill’s, Johnson-Weiner’s, and Nolt’s work about the Amish. Karen Johnson-Weiner published a series of linguistic studies through the 1990s, and from these spring-board works later explored more fully schools and New York settlements. Donald Kraybill’s first Amish-focused publication was a Durkheimian study of the Amish and suicide in 1986. From then on he has maintained this functionalist orientation in comparative studies of plain Anabaptists and Amish responses to cultural, economic, and political change. Steven Nolt’s work follows two threads: Amish history, of which his A History of the Amish (1992) stands as the premiere testament, and Amish identity, realized most fully in Plain Diversity (2007), co-authored with Thomas Meyers. While Kraybill and Nolt have collaborated on seven publications, this is Johnson-Weiner’s first publication with either.

Use of Old Order Anabaptist-Produced Publications to Develop an Injury Surveillance System for Old Order Populations

To achieve a clearer picture of injuries within Old Order Anabaptist communities, Purdue University’s Agricultural Safety and Health Program collaborated with the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College to conduct a pilot study on this topic. The team developed an injury surveillance system based not on traditional injury data sources and instruments but on data provided in Old Order-produced publications, specifically The Budget, Die Botschaft, and The Diary. While traditional surveillance methods have generally yielded injury data on less than 30 Old Order cases per year, the Old Order Injury Database, developed through the Purdue/Young Center collaboration, yielded data on 1,153 cases for the target year analyzed. While the primary focus of the study was farm-related injuries, it is believed that this type of surveillance system could be used by professionals in a variety of health-related fields to assist in gathering data and developing culturally appropriate interventions for Old Order groups.