POLA HIDUP BERKEBUN LANSIA DI WILAYAH PERDESAAN KECAMATAN KONTUNAGA KABUPATEN MUNA

Abstrak

This research aims to analyse the gardening lifestyle patterns of the elderly in the rural areas of Kontunaga District, Muna Regency, and to understand the social meaning attached to gardening practices in the lives of the elderly. This research uses a descriptive qualitative approach with data collection techniques including in-depth interviews, field observations, literature studies, and documentation. The informants were selected purposively, including elderly individuals who are still actively gardening, those who have stopped gardening, and family members involved in decision-making regarding the elderly's gardening activities. Data analysis is conducted through the stages of data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion. The research findings indicate that the gardening lifestyle of the elderly is formed through a long-term social process since childhood and is internalised as part of their self-identity and body functionality. Gardening not only serves as a source of livelihood but also as a living space, a centre for social activity, and a source of meaning in life for rural elderly. The elderly interpret gardening as a practice that maintains physical, mental, and social balance. From the perspective of Berger and Luckmann's Social Construction of Reality Theory, the gardening lifestyle of the elderly is formed through the stages of externalisation, objectification, and internalisation, so the cessation of gardening activity is perceived as a disruption to the elderly's life balance. This finding confirms the importance of understanding the lives of rural elderly from the perspective of their agricultural practices and their own life experiences.

Kata kunci

• Elderly
• gardening
• lifestyle
• rural sociology