Innovation in animal production: renewed approaches for new issues

As an introduction to a special issue of the "Animal Production" Journal on innovation in livestock farming, this article considers the contribution of scientists in animal production, to the innovation process. It shows that the new drivers of change in agriculture and livestock farming require an intense effort towards innovative design, and it provides an overview of the approaches that can be used to do this: de novo step-by-step design, model-based design vs design workshops, design at the level of the livestock system or at the landscape level. The analytical frameworks used to study in situ innovations and anticipate their dissemination are also reviewed: typologies of adopters, technological lock-in... The issue concludes on the importance of revisiting the posture of researchers towards innovation.