Livestock  research in the country started way back in early 1900's at Mpwapwa by Germans and the research emphasis was on animal husbandry and major diseases such as Rinderpest, East Coast Fever and Trynosomiasis. The outbreak of the First World War disrupted the research activities on animal diseases and husbandry. Thereafter, from 1920 to 1950 the Animal Husbandry Research Centre was revived at Mpwapwa by the British. In 1954, the Headquarter of the Department of Veterinary Services was moved from Mpwapwa to Dar es Salaam as part of the Ministry of Agriculture and in the Mpwapwa Veterinary Research Station was renamed as Central Veterinary Laboratory. In 1962, CVL was moved from Mpwapwa to Temeke and was responsible for animal diseases research while Mpwapwa centre was charged with the responsibility of conducting research on livestock production. In 1974 livestock services including livestock research was transfered to the Ministry of Livestock Development and Natural Resources (MLDNR).

In 1980, the Tanzania Livestock Research Organisation (TALIRO) was established and took over the livestock research functions from the MLDNR. TALIRO had four main research institutes namely Animal Diseases Research Institute (CVL Temeke), Livestock Production Research Institute (LPRI Mpwapwa, Malya, West
Kilimanjaro and Tanga),Pasture Research Institute (Kongwa and Msowero); and Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Research Institute in Tanga. During its brief period, TALIRO had many achievement spearheaded by active researchers and the administration and management of the institution. The evidence is available through the grey literature, published records and infrastructure. Meanwhile, TALIRO Act had proposed to have several centres across the country which included
the Kibaha Poultry Research Centre under LPRI Mpwapwa and Pasture Research centre Mafinga that included Pasture Research Centres of Kongwa, Mabuki and Tanga. However, by 1989 when TALIRO was dissolved, the Organization had four main livestock research centres with very strong foundation for livestock research and development in Tanzania. All TALIRO activities were transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MALD).

The period between 1990 and 2006 recorded significant policy and institutional changes in livestock research and development. The Commission of Research and Training (CRT) was established in 1990 in the then Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MALD) to take care of both crop and livestock research.  During the implementation of the National Agricultural and Livestock Research Master-Plan (NALRM) that was associated by implementation of the Economic Recovery Programs that witnessed the closing up of research activities in Lake, Northern and Western Zones and movement of staff to other centres and even redundancy. This period also there was witnessed national efforts that led to initiation of long term projects as well as formulation of several legislations including the National Livestock Policy of 2006. As implementing the NALRM, the National Agricultural and Livestock Research Project (NALRP), was proposed to run from 1989 – 1999, but actually took off from 1992 to 2001; and Tanzania Agricultural Research Project, Phase II (TARP II), 1998 – 2004. These projects were conceived and implemented with a very long term perspective in which the agricultural research system of Tanzania would be transformed into more demand-driven, private-oriented effective network of research institutions. The major focus of these interventions was on the strengthening the research section of the agricultural sector. However, the implementation of the project also led to closing up or downsizing of livestock research
activities in Malya and West Kilimanjaro centres.

However, voices were constantly raised on dissatisfaction for closure of some of the livestock research centres. Thus in the early 2000s there was re-establishment of research in Lake zone and strengthening of the then weak West Kilimanjaro. The during the reorganization of the departments under MALD, research was undertaken through a separate directorate known as National Livestock Research Institute (NLRI), Mpwapwa which oversaw operations of zonal centres in Central zone (Mpwapwa); Northern zone (West Kilimanjaro); Eastern zone (Tanga); Southern zone (Naliendele); Lake zone (Mabuki) and Southern Highlands zone (Uyole).

In the era before the establishement of TALIRI, the main source of fund was the governement of United Reublic of Tanzania. Also, during the 1990s funding of research activities was also obtained from regional and international institutional and consortia including; The Pastures Network for Eastern and Southern Africa (PANESA), Cattle Research Network (CARNET), Small Ruminant Research Network (SARNET), SAREC / SIDA, The International Foundation for Science (IFS), Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), USAID, FAO and other donors. In 2001 crop and livestock research were again separated and put under two ministries when the Government established the Department of Research and Training (DRT) inthe Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and the Division of Livestock Research andTraining (DLRT) in the Ministry of Water and Livestock Development. Although the DRTand DRLT were in two separate ministries, they implemented a World Bank fundedproject (TARP II). In 1999, the Zonal Agricultural research Fund for Dodoma and Singida Region was considered
by agricultural stakeholders as a sustainable move of funding agricultural research activities in Central Zone all districts and town councils of Dodoma and Singida regions respectively should contribute three million shillings (TZS 3,000,000) and seek for other matching fund from the ministry resonsible for livestock and other regional and international develoment partners. For the three years, the central zone was able to collect more than TZS 260,000,000.00. However, there was formalization of ZARFs and inclusion in National Plans led to initiation of ZARDEFs (Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Funds through TARP II such that almost all research zones had this kind of funding. Through this funding arrangement 12 livestock research projects were implemented. 

Despite the foregoing, there was a felt need of establishing an autonomous research institution that could at leat be stable in the face of organizational changes of ministries responsible for livestock. The National Livestock Policy (2006) enhanced the need of having an autonomous Institute to oversee livestock research in the country. To this effect the Tanzania Livestock Research Institute (TALIRI) Act was enacted by the Parliamentary Act No. 4 of 2012 under the Government Notice No. 30 Volume 93 dated27th July, 2012. TALIRI is composed of seven Research Centres, namely Mpwapwa,Mabuki, Kongwa, Naliendele, Tanga, Uyole and West Kilimanjaro. These centres are located in different agro-ecological zones.

Since its establishment, research efforts and funding TALIRI had various projects such as The East Africa Agricultural Productivity (EAAPP) Project; Funds from the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) for research and infrastructre develoment at TALIRI Mpwapwa, Uyole, Naliendele, Mabuki, West Kilimanjaro and Tanga; a total of TZS 9,171,548,533.82 were received from various sources. Local and external support came
from various sources including ASARECA, AU-IBAR, CCARDESA, CIAT, PASS, COSTECH, EAAPP, IFAD and ILRI. The research projects were also implemented in collaborationwith other institutions including the South African Agricultural Research Council (ARC);eGA, ITOCA, KALRO, NM-AIST, SUA, Massey University, MJNUST, SRUC and theUniversity of Zambia (UZ) from 2014/2015 through 2017/2018.  In recent years, most of the projects are funded through the
Development Fund of GoT in component of the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) window. Through this funding, TALIRI was expected purchased 1865 goats, beef cattle, dairy cattle,farm machineries, motor vehicles, farm infrastructures, establishing youth incubation centres at TALIRI Tanga, Kongwa and Mabuki for livestock fattening business and establishing new research Centre in Nsimbo District Council (Katavi region) as a headquarter for TALIRI Western Zone. African Chicken Genetics Gains (ACGG) programme, Tropical Poultry Genetics Solutions (TPGS)- Sustainable animal productivity for livelihoods, Nutrition and Gender Inclusions (SAPLING). Women in Business: Chicken Seed Dissemination in Tanzania and Ethiopia II (SAPLING), Mpwapwa Genotyping project, The Maziwa Faida Project, The African – Asian Dairy Genetic gains (AADGG) and Enviro cow Project are by international development partners named Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ireland Government, UK and implemented with partnership with SUA,  ILRI and Teagasc.

TALIRI  has reason to celebrate the success of the livestock research and development in Tanzania. Creating opportunities to stallholder and other livestock farmers to obtainimproved livestock species including dairy and beef cattle like Mpwapwa Cattle, dual purpose goats like Malya Goats, sheep and chickens like horasi, sasso, kruoiler that are sources of protein source products (milk,meat and egg); sources of income through sales of live animals as well assources of byproducts such as manure, hides and skins and the existance of many factories that process milk, meat, hides and skin and provide primary source of income of almost 50% of households Tanzania. Formulations of animal feed diets for various classes of livestock including dairy cows, beef cattle, dual purpose goats, broiler and egg laying chickens were developed and used by farmers and various feed manufacturers. Introduction of improved pasture and forage species to farmers who have managed to produce quality animal feeds. The grass species including Cenchrus ciliaris, Chloris gayana, Brachiaria and Pennisetum spp as well as herbaceous legumes (Macroptillium spp, Clitoria spp) and tree fodder (Leucaena spp, Calliandra spp, Gliricidia sepium) are used in large, medium and small scale farms including feed gardens.