Rethinking agricultural equipment design by understanding its uses: three insights for the agroecological transition
Abstract
Which agricultural equipment supports the agroecological transition, and how to design it, are controversial questions. To contribute to these debates, this article presents three insights drawn from an analysis of the use of agricultural equipment by farmers in transition (cherry production, arable farming, viticulture, market gardening). 1/ Moving beyond “one-equipment-at-a-time” approaches to consider the management of fleets of agricultural equipment, in order to address the feasibility of technical changes in a systemic way. 2/ Supporting the design of flexible equipment and work environments that are conducive to transitions. 3/ Recognizing that farmers contribute to the design of the agricultural equipment they use. The article concludes by highlighting the importance, for R&D and public authorities, of being transparent about the transformations in agriculture it supports when choosing to design or subsidise certain types of equipment.
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BibTeX
@article{salembier2026rethinking,
title = {{Rethinking agricultural equipment design by understanding its uses: three insights for the agroecological transition}},
author = {Chloé Salembier and Annabelle Revel and Hadrien Pham},
journal = {Innovations Agronomiques},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.17180/ciag-2026-vol114-art04},
url = {https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05748716v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Rethinking agricultural equipment design by understanding its uses: three insights for the agroecological transition
AU - Chloé Salembier
AU - Annabelle Revel
AU - Hadrien Pham
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/14
JO - Innovations Agronomiques
DO - 10.17180/ciag-2026-vol114-art04
UR - https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05748716v1
AB - Which agricultural equipment supports the agroecological transition, and how to design it, are controversial questions. To contribute to these debates, this article presents three insights drawn from an analysis of the use of agricultural equipment by farmers in transition (cherry production, arable farming, viticulture, market gardening). 1/ Moving beyond “one-equipment-at-a-time” approaches to consider the management of fleets of agricultural equipment, in order to address the feasibility of technical changes in a systemic way. 2/ Supporting the design of flexible equipment and work environments that are conducive to transitions. 3/ Recognizing that farmers contribute to the design of the agricultural equipment they use. The article concludes by highlighting the importance, for R&D and public authorities, of being transparent about the transformations in agriculture it supports when choosing to design or subsidise certain types of equipment.
SN - 1958-5853
SN - 1958-5853
ER -