About the Centre
TARI-Makutupora is located about 23 kilometres Nothern part of the Dodoma City in Dodoma region (Longitude: 35º, 46.093'E and Latitude: 05º, 58.669'S) with an altitude of 1070 m above sea level and an average of annual temperature ranges between 15oC-32oC respectively. The Centre has a total of 40.2 hectares of land which are used for research and demonstrations activities. The area receives an annual rainfall between 400-660mm with poor distribution. The Centre was established in 1978 as a Viticulture Research and Training Centre (VRTC-Makutupora) mandated for grape research and development Project. The project was working under Dodoma Integrated Rural Development Project (DODEP) funded by Kubel Stiftung from Germany. In 1986 the project was transferred to the Ministry of Agricultural under the Directorate of Research and Training where the project was then transformed into Research Centre known as Viticulture Research and Training Centre (VRTC)-Makutupora. Joining of the ministry of Agriculture and that of Livestock in 1995- 2005 period was accompanied by attaching the Centre to Mpwapwa Livestock Research Centre with the mandate to conduct Research on all crops adaptable to the Central Zone Climatic Conditions. Apart from crops research, the centre was also mandated to develop water harvesting and soil management technologies. In 2006-2017, the Ministry of Agriculture was formed as separate ministry from the former ministry in which had both agriculture and livestock. This made the centre to remain in the Ministry of Agriculture under the Directorate of Research and Development as Agricultural Research Institute known as ARI Makutupora. In 2018 the DRD was transformed into an autonomous institute called Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) following Parliament Act number 10 of 2016 and became independent entity mandated for all research in agriculture. The centre was then transformed from ARI –Makutupora to TARI Makutupora Centre while maintaining its role and mandate for conducting viticulture research along the value chain components at the national level. The centre has one sub-centre namely TARI-Hombolo which is located in Dodoma Region. TARI-Hombolo mandated to conduct research on sorghum, pearl and finger millets. TARI Makutupora with its sub Center is well equipped with expertise personnel with diverse disciplines from Soil Science, Plant Agronomy, Plant Protection, Post-harvest and Processing, Extension and Social Economics. The Centre also have invested in improved research infrastructure and breeding materials. Hence capable for conducting research activities along with role of technology dissemination to farmers for increased crop production and commercialization towards industrialization.