The challenge of designing farming systems experiments with a diversity of stakeholders

This practice abstract draws on the Coccinelle project, which set out to co‑design and pilot a sustainable mountain dairy cattle farming system through collaboration between livestock farmers, advisors, citizens, and researchers. It highlights key lessons for facilitating co‑design processes in farming systems experiments. These include how different participation formats influence engagement, the importance of clarifying roles and decision‑making responsibilities, and the need to build and maintain a shared collective memory of decisions. The work also shows that stakeholders often contribute more broadly than anticipated, shaping not only farming practices but also system objectives and ways of working. Overall, the abstract underlines that successful co‑design requires strong facilitation skills, flexibility, and the ability to value and integrate unexpected contributions within participatory research.