Agriculture research in Malawi can be traced back to the establishment of the four main research stations at Bvumbwe in 1940, principally as a research station for tung nuts; Chitedze in 1948, for research on arable crops such as tobacco, cereals and livestock; Makoka in 1967, as the main center for the Agricultural Research Council of Malawi (ARCM) and Lunyangwa in 1969, for research on arable crops, such as maize and groundnuts. When Malawi attained independence in 1964, the then Department of Agricultural Research (DAR) was a relatively small organization that was staffed mainly by expatriate scientists. Research was organized on a project basis, by crop, livestock or discipline. The scope of DAR was enhanced in 1975 when the responsibility for research on cotton, grain legumes and soil productivity was given to DAR following the dissolution of the ARC of Central Africa. In 1980, DAR relinquished its responsibility over tobacco research, and this task was taken over by the Malawi Tobacco Research Authority (MTRA), now called the Agricultural Research and Extension Trust (ARET). The DAR was restructured into the DARTS in 1993.

DARTS has evolved over the years to become a professional institution with about 70 highly qualified and skilled indigenous scientists; a network of 16 research stations, experimental stations and sub-stations; and an excellent research infrastructure and facilities that enable it to generate technologies that have impacted greatly on agricultural productivity in Malawi.