The developmental and scientific impacts of research carried out intermittently over a thirty year period on the tea crop (Camellia sinensis) in southern Tanzania are reported. It is an attempt to demonstrate to questioning donors that research can contribute, in many ways, to the alleviation of poverty in developing countries. During Phase I (1966–1972) the work was funded in large part by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), as it is now known, with the support of the tea industry in East Africa. During Phase II (1985–1991) a regional study in eastern Africa was largely funded by DFID with local field experimentation in Tanzania paid for by tea growers. In Phase III (1992–1997) the work was funded almost entirely by a consortium of commercial producers.

Throughout this period, despite political and economic uncertainties in Tanzania, the close contact with industry meant that the results of the research were exploited to commercial advantage whenever circumstances allowed. These interventions enabled productivity on a unit area basis to rise over time and companies to remain profitable. More recently major investments in new projects have taken place in southern Tanzania, again supported by the results of the research. All of this has led to the creation of new jobs and to continuity of employment in rural areas that have few other sources of paid work. The financial return on the research investment, although very difficult to quantify with precision, has been immense.

The science has not been neglected either. Over the same period more than 30 refereed papers have been published in the international scientific literature. These cover such topics as the responses of tea to climate and weather, including drought and irrigation. Scientists have also been trained in modern research techniques. In addition there have been ancillary benefits including the introduction of technical and management training programmes for staff in the tea industry. Frustration has been caused by the lack of continuity in funding due to changes in policies, and in the priority research topics, even within one donor organization, which have often put the work at risk. Ingenuity, patience and commitment have all been pre-requisites to ensure that the research continued.

The partnership with industry has been beneficial to all the stakeholders. It has led directly to the creation of the new, commercially managed Tea Research Institute of Tanzania serving both small- and large-scale producers throughout the country. Researchers, with the support of the tea industry and in partnership with the Tanzanian Government and DFID, can continue to play a significant role in the fight against poverty. Research for development is a continuing process: it can be successful.