Recent micro level data from East Africa is used to benchmark aggregate data and assess the role of agricultural inputs in explaining variation in crop yields on smallholding plots. Fertilizer, improved seeds, protection against erosion and pesticides improve crop yields in Rwanda and Ethiopia, but not Uganda, possibly associated with lack of use there. With all positive yield determinants in place, wheat and maize yields could increase fourfold. The data hints at the negative effect of climate change on yields and the benefits of accompanying measures to mitigate its adverse impact (access to finance and protection against erosion). The adverse effect of crop damage on yields varies between 12/13 percent (Rwanda, Uganda) to 36 percent (Ethiopia). Protection against erosion and investment financing mitigate these effects considerably.
This Selected Issues paper and Statistical Appendix analyzes the labor market of Mauritius. It highlights that the high level of youth unemployment in Mauritius points to deficiencies in education and training. There are also significant rigidities in the functioning of the labor market that aggravate the problem. In particular, the Mauritian labor market is highly regulated and the relevant institutions operate according to a legalistic approach in which economic criteria play a relatively minor role.