The present AMRI Katumani headquarters previously served as the former KARI-Katumani Dryland Centre before 2013. The Centre earlier served as the National Dryland Farming Research Station established in 1956 during the colonial time, for (i) crop improvement and production, (ii) animal production, and (iii) pasture development in the drylands areas of the country. Although AMRI has a national mandate on Agricultural mechanization dry land research is still a major activity within the Institute. AMRI has one Centre at Katumani and four sub-centres and with the expansion of the mechanization research more testing and demonstration centres will be established within the country in future.