Jean-François is an independent agro-economist based in Bergerac (France) and Brussels. He worked at the European Commission (DG AGRI and DG RTD) as a middle manager on many aspects of the Common Agricultural Policy, from agricultural markets to the rural development programs of several Member States. He was central in adopting a new organic farming EU logo in 2010. He spent the last four years of his EU civil servant career with the Horizon 2020 Research & Innovation programme, notably the Societal Challenge 5 on Environment and Climate issues. Jean-François Hulot holds a diploma of Agronomist and degrees in economy, management and international relations.
This briefing paper examines the returns on investment in EU agricultural research and innovation (R&I), outlining the multi-faceted societal, economic, and environmental benefits as well as the current limitations of measuring returns.
The Horizon Europe mission on Soil Health and Food has set the ambitious target for 75% of soils in the EU to be healthy – within just 10 years. Here are five recommendations for achieving this.