Xavier Poux has an agronomic background and has a thesis in rural economics on the analysis of a regional agrarian system (that of the Plateau de Langres, upstream of the Seine). He has been working since 1992 in the AScA (Applications des Sciences de l' Action) research and development department, created by Laurent Mermet. His professional experience has led him to combine the analysis of agricultural systems - from an organizational, economic and environmental point of view - with the analysis of public decisions on agricultural development and environmental management. His career has also led him to articulate different levels of analysis and intervention, from the local level of the small territory to the organisation of agriculture at European level. He intervenes in the operational, methodological and theoretical registers on the one hand, aiming at reciprocal enrichment on the other.
 
He has acquired a recognized experience in the field of foresight, more particularly applied to his subjects of study: agriculture, anthropized ecological systems and agricultural and environmental policies. It defends the importance of taking into account spatial and landscape evolution issues in environmental analyses and public policies.
 
He has been involved for nearly 10 years in the work of the European Forum on Nature Conservation and Pastoralism, of which he was a member of the board of directors from 2005 to 2016. He is also a member of the scientific board of the Agriculture, Biodiversity and Public Action (DIVA) research program of the Ministry of the Environment (since 1999). He teaches regularly in agricultural higher education schools (AgroParisTech, Agrosup Dijon, Hepia (Switzerland). He is an active observer of the evolution of European policies.