Arid Zone Research Institute (AZRI)

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Stuart Highway South, Alice Springs 0870
PO Box 8760, Alice Springs NT 0871
+61 8 8951 8111 (phone) +61 8 8951 8112 (fax)

Advancing rural industries in Central Australia

The Northern Territory Department of Regional Development, Primary Industry, Fisheries and Resources (RDPIFR) in Central Australia is responsible for advancing regional research and development and promoting primary industry initiatives to encourage economic growth. The regional focus is largely on research support and information transfer relating to the pastoral, horticultural and camel industries.

RDPIFR's regional headquarters are at the Arid Zone Research Institute (AZRI), 10 km south of Alice Springs, and incorporate library facilities, intensive horticultural research plots, quarantine facilities and paddocks for small cattle herds. Pastoral research, development and extension are carried out at the adjacent Old Man Plains. A portion of AZRI will be used to recycle wastewater from Alice Springs using underground water banking. The Department also operates the Ti Tree horticultural research facility, 180 km north of Alice Springs.

The Arid Zone Research Institute is the Alice Springs headquarters for the Department. It is also the headquarters for NREATA, Parks and Wildlife staff, and the new headquarters for the Desert Knowledge CRC.

The Institute complex provides the campus accommodation for 50 Primary Industry and Mines Staff, provides laboratory facilities and work areas, provides infrastructure facilities needed for primary industry projects, such as glass houses, cool rooms, and provides the farm land and farm facilities.

A further 2,788 Ha (AS Bore Fields) of adjoining land is used for cattle grazing projects, in conjunction with Old Man Plains Research Station projects. 

AZRI farm roles are to

• provide secure farm land, machinery, animals, and farm infrastructure required to conduct small scale research, development and extension projects
• provide laboratory, workshop, field labs, and other facilities
• provide the operations base for the delivery of PI services to industry in Central Australia, including regulatory, bio-security, disease monitoring, industry training programs, industry development programs, and extension programs.

AZRI Research Projects

• National Arbovirus Monitoring Program   - is an integrated national program funded by the sheep and cattle industries, and the federal and NT governments to monitor the distribution of economically important insect borne viral diseases.
• Sub Tropical Germplasm Assessment - Variety evaluation of citrus, stone, and pome fruit.
• Investigating the use of recycled water for horticulture production - This project aims to investigate the suitability Alice Springs recycled waste water, and the suitability of the identified soil types, to successfully grow horticultural produce.

AZRI Farm Demonstration and Extension Projects

• Bush foods trial plantings
• National Livestock Identification (NLIS) training and demonstration site.
• Water medication demonstration
• Grazing Land Management workshops