French agriculture at a time of choice.

Summary French agriculture is showing unsatisfactory results: employment is decreasing, income is low in certain activities, the environment is clearly deteriorating and commercial performance is eroding. In this CAE Note, the three authors Jean-Christophe Bureau, Lionel Fontagné and Sébastien Jean present their findings and point out the pitfalls of public policies dedicated to this sector. They recommend a clearer orientation of agricultural policy, centered on the preservation of natural capital, research, training and the sanitary quality of products, in order to reconcile the objectives of competitiveness, environment and income.