James Clarke

As Research Director I develop and co-ordinate business opportunities within ADAS (www.adas.co.uk) and the RSK Group (www.rskgroup.com) through maintaining a high profile for ADAS externally and internally, especially in areas of farming and science. This includes providing a leadership and mentoring role for staff within ADAS, and where appropriate wider RSK Group, to enable them to develop their technical, business and managerial skills and industry profiles to improve the performance of their business areas.

I am a specialist in all aspects of crop production, especially sustainable agriculture, integrated farming, net zero and wider impacts of arable farming on the environment.  My areas of of specialism and international reputation include farming systems, general agronomy, weed control, herbicide resistance and set-aside.  

I have a strategic role in projects on assessing impacts of losses of crop protection options, assessing a sustainability including carbon footprints, farmland biodiversity, developing a Weed Management Support System for winter wheat, exploiting grass-weed ecology to reduce cultivation costs, managing herbicide resistance.

Chair (from 2024) of the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP) of which also an independent member, and deputy chair, as a farming systems specialist (2021-2023). I was Chair of Pesticides Forum (and chair of Indicators group) 2001-2002 and 2007-2015.  I am Chair of Weed Resistance Action Group steering committee.  Member of RSPB Lowland Farm Advisory Group. 

Expert in knowledge transfer and author of many publications. 

Associate of Royal Agricultural Societies (ARAgS). Fellowship of the Association of Applied Biologists (F Appl. Biol.).