Form Tobacco to Potato: The Land Use Change in Agriculture Activity of Farmers in Mount Merbabu’s Slope

Agricultural land management in the highlands, especially on mountain slopes, faces various obstacles geographically, ecologically, and socially. Geographically and ecologically, agriculture in the highlands is vulnerable to landslides and decreasing soil fertility. Socially, the people do not have sufficient land to cultivate because the land is limited. Although the land is limited, people try to maximize their land to earn good living. One of the strategies is planting crops that have high price in the market. Unfortunately, the market is volatile so that people haven’t obtained good income as they expected. In order to earn a better living, people on the Merbabu’s slopes are currently switching planting from tobacco to potato, whereas a decade ago tobacco was the main crop to get high income. Based on the current condition, this paper aims to describe how the new commodity triggers social transformation in the community.