Martin Wilkinson is a farm business management specialist and academic whose career bridges practical farming, independent consultancy, research, and professional leadership. Throughout his work, he has consistently championed the integration of sound environmental management alongside profitable and resilient food production. He brings a clear commitment to strengthening professionalism, supporting confident decision‑making, and helping the agricultural sector navigate change with integrity and evidence‑based insight.

Raised on a family farm on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, Martin’s professional outlook is firmly rooted in the realities of farming and rural life. After graduating with a BSc (Hons) in Agriculture from Seale Hayne Agricultural College, he spent more than twenty years with ADAS, progressing into senior leadership roles within Farm Business Management. During this time, he worked closely with farmers, advisers, businesses and policy bodies to support sound decision‑making at both enterprise and strategic levels.

Martin’s consultancy and research experience spans the UK and internationally, including work for farmers, agri‑businesses, corporate clients, the European Union and the World Bank across Europe, North Africa, Sub‑Saharan Africa, the Mediterranean and Australia. This breadth of experience gives him a strong perspective on the interconnected challenges facing modern agriculture, from business resilience and policy change to skills, leadership and professionalism.

Since 2008, Martin has been based at Harper Adams University, where he is a Senior Lecturer in Farm Business Management. Through teaching and professional engagement, he is committed to developing the next generation of agricultural professionals and supporting career‑long learning across the sector.

Martin served as Chairman of the Institute of Agricultural Management from 2017 to 2019, one of the founding organisations of the Society of Agriculture. He is a Fellow Practitioner of the Society of Agriculture and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, reflecting his dedication to high professional standards, independent advice and collaborative leadership.

Reflecting on his connection to the land and the profession, Martin says: “I have had the privilege of working with clients, partners and organisations across the global food supply chain. Yet my happy place remains standing in permanent pasture in the upper Aire Valley, reflecting on life and, in spring and summer, listening to curlews, lapwings and oystercatchers.”