This paper explores macro-environmental issues that justify the decisions for evidence-based policy advocacy initiatives for agricultural led industrialization in Tanzania. The paper intends not to promote activism but rather to promote arguable cases for addressing issues of national significance. The sector experiences most agricultural exports in raw form, weak agro-processing industrial base and limited value-adding activities much done to the exchange function such as buying/selling and transporting while market functions of grading, processing and packaging that trigger industrial undertakings are minimally performed. The study used document review. The findings reveal that micro environment issues include a contribution of the agricultural sector to the GDP; national budget allocation and disbursement; public production infrastructure; gender and land ownership, access and employment; the private sector and national agriculture plans; national policies and laws; and agricultural statistics. Based on the study findings we argue that addressing policy issues in an evidence-based manner can result in effective agriculture governance, multiplier effect and influence industrialization. This implies that evidence-based advocacy is an opportunity for academia and researchers to bridge policy gaps by providing inputs for a depth understanding of issues of national significance through applied policy research.
Agriculture, Evidence-based advocacy, Policy, Stakeholders