The old age in rural area: Case of Kadirli district of Osmaniye

Today, with the change in living conditions depending on scientific and technological developments, the life expectancy of people in the World and Turkey has increased, and the elderly population has increased numerically and proportionally. This social change, called Demographic Transformation, while making the elderly visible, intensified the interest in the concepts of old age and aging. The aging of the population affects all areas from health to social security, from environmental issues to education, from socio-cultural activities to family life. In the process of Demographic Transformation, a rapid urbanization process has entered our country as a result of migration from rural to urban, and these population movements have changed the role and status of elderly people living in rural or urban areas while changing family structure. On the other hand, since the 1950s, in our country, the rural population has decreased rapidly especially due to the migration of the young population to the cities, and the elderly population has generally remained in the countryside. However, there are almost no studies on rural aging, especially in terms of agricultural activities. For this reason, in the study, in the Kadirli district example, it is aimed to reveal the current situation and problems focused on the physical, environmental, health, and life quality status of the elderly condensed in rural areas, also to reveal the situation of their agricultural activities. The research data were compiled using quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques and individual interviews were conducted with a total of 700 people aged 65 and over. The highest age limit of the interviewed individuals is 107, the average age is 74, and 60.0% of them are women. As a result of the research, it has been determined that elderly individuals in the rural areas of Kadirli have multidimensional problems. In order to produce and implement social policies related to the solution of these problems, there is a need to increase the cooperation between institutions, organizations, universities, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and local governments, to coordinate and supervise the practices.