Abstract
Addressing the complex problem of ensuring on-farm produce safety entails processes that allow for participation of affected groups, and integration of their knowledge and perceptions into the solutions. Such participatory processes, however, are difficult to develop among underserved groups, like the Amish communities of Ohio, where members seek deliberate separation from mainstream society and have insular social networks and limited trust in government agents. Using a mental models framework, we present research findings that will be used to help develop an outreach program to address produce safety in Amish communities in Ohio. These findings expand our understandings of Amish growers' perceptions and knowledge of on-farm produce safety practices in the following areas: the microbial risks to fresh and fresh-cut produce; practices that can prevent contamination; perceptions of the economic feasibility of adopting these practices; preparedness for a contamination event; and information needs and preferences. Information was collected to aid the development of outreach that respects the values and goals of the Amish produce growers, which is a key factor for program success, and that encourages the adoption of food safety principles in scale-appropriate ways by addressing barriers and building rapport and trust with community members. We believe that the information learned in this study is useful to a variety of people working with Plain Communities and other non-mechanized, small-scale farmers in addition to these communities.
Highlights
Many Amish communities are experiencing extensive demographic and social change associated with increased population (Donnermeyer, Anderson, & Cooksey, 2013), historically low commodity milk prices, increased feed costs, and land scarcity in settlements near larger urban areas
Over the last two decades, Ohio Amish communities have adopted strategies to deal with these changes. These strategies include intensification and specialization of farming (Long, 2003) and continued diversification by adding or expanding produce to their list of farm products (Parker, 2006). For these new or beginning produce growers, the small scale of most Amish operations will likely exempt them from regulations created under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). (Those Amish who market through local auction houses or who grow non-exempt products, will likely be required to have GAP certification.) among new and beginning Amish growers, produce production is seen as an affordable entry into farming because land and input costs for expanding or start-up are low (Weaver, personal communication, 2010)
This paper presents a subset of findings from data collected among Amish produce growers in the Holmes County Settlement, Ohio, as part of a 2011 study to better understand the range of food safety perceptions and beliefs
Summary
Many Amish communities are experiencing extensive demographic and social change associated with increased population (Donnermeyer, Anderson, & Cooksey, 2013), historically low commodity milk prices, increased feed costs, and land scarcity in settlements near larger urban areas. (Those Amish who market through local auction houses or who grow non-exempt products, will likely be required to have GAP certification.) among new and beginning Amish growers, produce production is seen as an affordable entry into farming because land and input costs for expanding or start-up are low (Weaver, personal communication, 2010) Assuming these growers have reliable produce safety information is difficult because Amish intentionally live separately from mainstream American society and have a contested history of negotiated legal and socio-cultural behaviors and separations on issues involving government mandates and regulations (e.g., Social Security, compulsory military service, public schooling) that have paradoxically accompanied increasing economic integration. Church Districts of multiple Orders are spatially grouped, forming settlements such as the Holmes County Settlement in Ohio or the Elkhart-LaGrange Settlement in Indiana
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