Cultural Poverty in Agrarian Communities

An Analysis of Children Socialization Patterns in Farming Families of Tegaltirto Village, Berbah

Abstract

This study aims to analyze how cultural poverty is produced through the process of socialization within farming families in Tegaltirto Village, Berbah, Sleman, Yogyakarta. Employing a qualitative descriptive approach this research focuses on parenting patterns and social values transmitted across generations in an agrarian community, using Oscar Lewis’s theory of the culture of poverty as its analytical framework. The data were collected through observations and in-depth interviews with poor farming families in Tegaltirto to understand how children are socialized from infancy within the economic and cultural context of agrarian life.

The findings indicate that poverty in Tegaltirto is shaped not only by economic factors but also by the transmission of cultural values embedded in everyday practices. Child socialization takes place primarily in informal settings such as rice fields and households where children learn through observation, imitation and participation in agricultural activities. Values such as hard work, patience, and resignation become part of a collective identity reproduced across generations. In addition, gender-based divisions of labor and principles of reciprocity within families reinforce the reproduction of agrarian values while simultaneously sustaining cycles of poverty.

Therefore, this study emphasizes that cultural poverty is a social phenomenon produced through family socialization within agrarian environments. Poverty alleviation efforts in rural areas should take into account the cultural and social dimensions embedded in agrarian life, rather than relying solely on structural economic interventions.