Desert Afforestation Station was established in 1952 at Jodhpur. This was later expanded into Desert Afforestation and Soil Conservation Station in 1957, and finally upgraded to Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI) in 1959 under Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi. The CAZRI operates through 7 Divisions, located at the headquarters in Jodhpur. There are four Regional Research Stations located in different agro-climatic zones to work on location-specific problems. The main objective of the organisation is to undertake basic and applied researches that will contribute to the development of sustainable farming systems in the arid ecosystem and to act as repository of information on the state of natural resources and desertification processes and its control.