Everyday agrarian labor as physical activity: gender, health, and community cohesion in rural Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v72.117586Keywords:
physical activity, rural labor, gender, community health, IndonesiaAbstract
Introduction: Everyday agrarian labor was one of the most important forms of physical activity in rural Indonesia, shaping livelihood strategies and influencing health and well-being. Unlike structured exercise, farming work emerged as a continuous and demanding practice embedded in daily survival.
Objective: The study aimed to reframe smallholder farming as both an economic practice and a sustained form of physical exertion, with particular attention to its implications for health outcomes, gendered workload, and community cohesion.
Methodology: A scoping review design was employed to synthesize multidisciplinary literature published between 2005 and 2025. Sources were drawn from peer-reviewed journals, institutional reports, and local publications. Data were systematically coded and analyzed thematically using NVivo software, with attention to health, gender, and cultural dimensions.
Results: The review showed that women farmers carried a double burden, combining agricultural labor with domestic responsibilities, leading to chronic fatigue and musculoskeletal problems. Men were mainly associated with strenuous field tasks and economic insecurity. Cultural practices such as rituals, planting ceremonies, and harvest festivals were identified as collective forms of physical activity that reinforced solidarity and tradition. Community cooperation, especially through sustained intergenerational knowledge transfer and strengthened resilience.
Discussion: Findings confirmed that agrarian labor functioned both as a risk factor for physical strain and a medium for cultural reproduction. These results aligned with global studies but highlighted Indonesia’s specific gender and cultural contexts.
Conclusions: Agrarian labor should be recognized as a complex form of physical activity that simultaneously generates health risks and fosters cultural identity, solidarity, and resilience.
References
Adams, J., Cotton, J., & Brumby, S. (2020). Agricultural health and medicine education—Engaging rural professionals to make a difference to farmers’ lives. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 28(4), 366–375. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/ajr.12637
Addison, L., & Schnurr, M. (2016). Introduction to symposium on labor, gender and new sources of agrarian change. Agriculture and Human Values, 33(4), 961–965. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-015-9656-1
Akseer, N., Mehta, S., Wigle, J., Chera, R., Brickman, Z. J., Al-Gashm, S., Sorichetti, B., Vandermorris, A., Hipgrave, D. B., Schwalbe, N., & Bhutta, Z. A. (2020). Non-communicable diseases among ado-lescents: current status, determinants, interventions and policies. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 1908. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09988-5
Atkinson, K., Lowe, S., & Moore, S. (2016). Human development, occupational structure and physical inactivity among 47 low and middle income countries. Preventive Medicine Reports, 3, 40–45. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2015.11.009
Berg, B. K., Warner, S., & Das, B. M. (2015). What about sport? A public health perspective on leisure-time physical activity. Sport Management Review, 18(1), 20–31. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2014.09.005
Bhaumik, S., & Sahu, S. (2025). Lived experiences of urban working mothers during pandemic: A ma-tricentric exploration in the Indian context. Women’s Studies International Forum, 109, 103067. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103067
Breivik, E., Ervik, B., & Kitzmüller, G. (2024). Ambivalent and heavy burdened wanderers on a road less travelled: a meta-ethnography on end-of-life care experiences among family caregivers in rural areas. BMC Health Services Research, 24(1), 1635. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-11875-3
Brigance, Christina, Soto Mas, Francisco, Sanchez, Victoria, & Handal, Alexis J. (2018). The Mental Health of the Organic Farmer: Psychosocial and Contextual Actors. Workplace Health & Safety, 66(12), 606–616. https://doi.org/10.1177/2165079918783211
Byrne, D. (2022). A worked example of Braun and Clarke’s approach to reflexive thematic analysis. Quality & Quantity, 56(3), 1391–1412. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-021-01182-y
Chapa Montemayor, A. S., & Connolly, D. J. (2023). Alcohol reduction interventions for transgender and non-binary people: A PRISMA-ScR-adherent scoping review. Addictive Behaviors, 145, 107779. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2023.107779
Ema, E.-O. S., Obidiegwu, J. E., Chilaka, C. A., & Akpabio, E. M. (2023). Indigenous Food Yam Cultivation and Livelihood Practices in Cross River State, Nigeria. World, 4(2), 314–332. https://doi.org/10.3390/world4020020
F, F. G., Carolyn, L., Josef, N., Cemal, O., Ross, A., & J, L. C. (2018). Promoting Physical Activity and Exer-cise. JACC, 72(14), 1622–1639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2018.08.2141
Farrugia, D. (2016). The mobility imperative for rural youth: the structural, symbolic and non-representational dimensions rural youth mobilities. Journal of Youth Studies, 19(6), 836–851. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2015.1112886
Flack, K. D., Stults-Kolehmainen, M. A., Creasy, S. A., Khullar, S., Boullosa, D., Catenacci, V. A., & King, N. (2023). Altered motivation states for physical activity and ‘appetite’ for movement as compen-satory mechanisms limiting the efficacy of exercise training for weight loss. Frontiers in Psy-chology, Volume 14-2023. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1098394
Galiè, A., Teufel, N., Korir, L., Baltenweck, I., Webb Girard, A., Dominguez-Salas, P., & Yount, K. M. (2019). The Women’s Empowerment in Livestock Index. Social Indicators Research, 142(2), 799–825. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-018-1934-z
Izquierdo, M., & Fiatarone Singh, M. (2023). Promoting resilience in the face of ageing and disease: The central role of exercise and physical activity. Ageing Research Reviews, 88, 101940. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2023.101940
Kelly, G. J., & Licona, P. (2018). Epistemic Practices and Science Education. In M. R. Matthews (Ed.), History, Philosophy and Science Teaching: New Perspectives (pp. 139–165). Springer Interna-tional Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62616-1_5
Kovacic, Z., Musango, J. K., Buyana, K., Ambole, A., Smit, S., Mwau, B., Ogot, M., Lwasa, S., & Brent, A. (2021). Building capacity towards what? Proposing a framework for the analysis of energy transition governance in the context of urban informality in Sub-Saharan Africa. Local Envi-ronment, 26(3), 364–378. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2020.1849075
McMeekin, N., Wu, O., Germeni, E., & Briggs, A. (2020). How methodological frameworks are being developed: evidence from a scoping review. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 20(1), 173. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-020-01061-4
Nerbass, F. B., Pecoits-Filho, R., Clark, W. F., Sontrop, J. M., McIntyre, C. W., & Moist, L. (2017). Occupa-tional Heat Stress and Kidney Health: From Farms to Factories. Kidney International Reports, 2(6), 998–1008. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ekir.2017.08.012
Nuvey, F. S., Addo-Lartey, A., Nortey, P. A., Addo, K. K., & Bonfoh, B. (2021). Coping with Adversity: Resilience Dynamics of Livestock Farmers in Two Agroecological Zones of Ghana. Internation-al Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(17), 9008. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18179008
Nyambo, P., Nyambo, P., Mavunganidze, Z., & Nyambo, V. (2022). Sub-Saharan Africa Smallholder Farmers Agricultural Productivity: Risks and Challenges. In H. A. Mupambwa, A. D. Nciizah, P. Nyambo, B. Muchara, & N. N. Gabriel (Eds.), Food Security for African Smallholder Farmers (pp. 47–58). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6771-8_3
Obidiegwu, J. E., & Akpabio, E. M. (2017). The geography of yam cultivation in southern Nigeria: Ex-ploring its social meanings and cultural functions. Journal of Ethnic Foods, 4(1), 28–35. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jef.2017.02.004
Petersen-Rockney, M., Baur, P., Guzman, A., Bender, S. F., Calo, A., Castillo, F., De Master, K., Dumont, A., Esquivel, K., Kremen, C., LaChance, J., Mooshammer, M., Ory, J., Price, M. J., Socolar, Y., Stan-ley, P., Iles, A., & Bowles, T. (2021). Narrow and Brittle or Broad and Nimble? Comparing Adap-tive Capacity in Simplifying and Diversifying Farming Systems. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, Volume 5-2021. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2021.564900
Prince, S. A., Elliott, C. G., Scott, K., Visintini, S., & Reed, J. L. (2019). Device-measured physical activity, sedentary behaviour and cardiometabolic health and fitness across occupational groups: a sys-tematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 16(1), 30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-019-0790-9
Robillard, C., McLaughlin, J., Cole, D. C., Vasilevska, B., & Gendron, R. (2018). “Caught in the Same Webs”—Service Providers’ Insights on Gender-Based and Structural Violence Among Female Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 19(3), 583–606. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-018-0563-3
Saikrishna, M. B. (2025). Balancing invisible burdens: exploring the lived experiences of unpaid care work among gig economy workers using Gioia methodology. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 45(5–6), 489–510. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-12-2024-0627
Sheild Johansson, M. (2025). The value of transformation: agricultural labour and shifting bodies in the Bolivian highlands. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 31(3), 899–916. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9655.14265
Shortland, F., Hall, J., Hurley, P., Little, R., Nye, C., Lobley, M., & Rose, D. C. (2023). Landscapes of sup-port for farming mental health: Adaptability in the face of crisis. Sociologia Ruralis, 63(S1), 116–140. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/soru.12414
Smolski, A. R., & Schulman, M. D. (2024). Navigating Farm Stress: Traumatic and Resilient Dimensions of the Black Agrarian Frame. Journal of Agromedicine, 29(1), 55–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/1059924X.2023.2280090
Vachliotis, I., Goulas, A., Papaioannidou, P., & Polyzos, S. A. (2022). Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: lifestyle and quality of life. Hormones, 21(1), 41–49. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42000-021-00339-6
Van Loon, J., Woltering, L., Krupnik, T. J., Baudron, F., Boa, M., & Govaerts, B. (2020). Scaling agricul-tural mechanization services in smallholder farming systems: Case studies from sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. Agricultural Systems, 180, 102792. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2020.102792
Waters, W. F., Ehlers, J., Ortega, F., & Kuhlmann, A. S. (2018). Physically Demanding Labor and Health Among Indigenous Women in the Ecuadorian Highlands. Journal of Community Health, 43(2), 220–226. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-017-0407-7
Westerbeek, H., & Eime, R. (2021). The Physical Activity and Sport Participation Framework—A Policy Model Toward Being Physically Active Across the Lifespan. Frontiers in Sports and Active Liv-ing, Volume 3-2021. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2021.608593
Xiong, H., Bairner, A., & Tang, Z. (2020). Embracing city life: physical activities and the social integra-tion of the new generation of female migrant workers in urban China. Leisure Studies, 39(6), 782–796. https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2020.1800802
Yusriadi, Y. (2025). Sustaining food security through social capital in agroforestry: a qualitative study from North Luwu, Indonesia. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, Volume 9-2025. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1580017
Yusriadi, Y., Cahaya, A., & Hamzah, F. (2024). Farmer adaptation strategies through local farming sys-tems in Enrekang, Indonesia. Scientific Reports, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-72953-4
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Ahmad Firman, Fitriani Latief, Yusriadi Yusriadi, Asniwati Asniwati, Surianto Surianto
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and ensure the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this magazine.
- Authors can establish separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (eg, in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as to a subpoena more Early and more of published work (See The Effect of Open Access) (in English).
This journal provides immediate open access to its content (BOAI, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess) on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors may download the papers from the journal website, or will be provided with the PDF version of the article via e-mail.
