Putting farmers first or following the scheme? The design dilemma in driving environmental experimentation

The future of dairy farming is complex, requiring a systematic transition to ensure long-term resilience for the sector. Tools to guide this transition, therefore, need effective design to meaningfully engage farmers with the environment. This study proposes farmer‑led experimentation as an effective approach to achieve this. Farmer-led experimentation refers to farmers’ autonomous trial of environmental practices to build knowledge, resilience and adaptability into the farm and farming system. This study investigates how farmer-led experimentation is influenced by the design and implementation of agri-environmental interventions and supports from the view of key stakeholders who are directly or indirectly involved in programme design in the Republic of Ireland. This perspective is drawn from thirteen semi‑structured interviews. Gioia analysis identifies thirteen aggregate dimensions that act as enablers or inhibitors of farmer-led experimentation. Our findings reveal that systemic lock-ins pose major barriers to achieving a more sustainable agri‑food system. Thus, we argue that creating a support infrastructure that enables farmers to engage and experiment with practices opens opportunities for farmers to develop and trust their own local knowledge and build agency and peer networks. While the exogenous drivers of systematic change are important, it is through the agency and experimentation of farmers that a sustainable transition may be leveraged.