Innovative design for agriculture in the move towards sustainability: scientific challenges. (January 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Prost, Lorène; Berthet, Elsa; Cerf, Marianne; Jeuffroy, Marie-Hélène; Labatut, Julie; Meynard, Jean-Marc
• Is Part Of: Research in engineering design. Volume 28:Number 1(2017:Jan.)
• Page Start: 119
• Page End: 129
• Publication Date: 2017-01
• Subjects: Agriculture -- Farming systems design -- Innovative design -- Sustainability -- Design studies -- Design theory; Engineering design -- Research -- Periodicals; Engineering design -- Periodicals; 620.0042
• DOI: 10.1007/s00163-016-0233-4
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0934-9839

Abstract

Abstract Agriculture is facing increasing innovation challenges to meet current societal expectations, yet very few design science studies are devoted to it. This paper highlights some of the particularities of the objects, reasoning and organization of design in agriculture that may open fruitful scientific dialogue between design scientists and agricultural scientists. We first provide an overview of the broad range of objects that are designed in agriculture and point out their specific characteristics with regard to design. We then identify some particular challenges of design activities in agriculture and review how they have been addressed up to now. Finally, we discuss how design challenges and characteristics in agriculture can contribute to current debate in the field of design science. We propose two main lines of enquiry and debate: enhancing the links between design reasoning and organization and further conceptualizing the status of use situations in design to deal with uncertainties and complexity in design processes.