UM6P-J-PAL Applied Lab for Agriculture (UJALA)
UM6P-J-PAL Applied Lab for Agriculture (UJALA) supports researchers and implementing partners in evaluating agricultural solutions to improve small-scale farmers’ productivity, food security, and sustainability.
This grant was recently updated
UJALA’s researcher-led Fall RFP is now closed to new submissions, replacing the open call with an October 30, 2026 LOI deadline. Applications are under review, and applicants will be contacted directly about next steps.
Funder: Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab
Due Dates: October 30, 2026 (Required LOI) | December 18, 2026 (Invited full proposal) | January 27, 2027 (Anticipated notification) | March 22, 2027 (Funding decisions) | Rolling (Embedded evaluations)
Funding Amounts: Up to US$75,000–US$300,000 pre-tax by study type; full RCTs may request up to US$75,000 additional implementation funding
Summary: UJALA supports rigorous agricultural evaluations to improve small-scale farmers’ productivity, profitability, food security, and environmental sustainability.
Key Information: Researcher-led teams must be led by J-PAL affiliates or invited researchers; UJALA African Scholars may apply for pilot studies.
Description
The UM6P-J-PAL Applied Lab for Agriculture (UJALA) is a joint initiative of J-PAL and University Mohammed VI Polytechnic, hosted at the university in Morocco and embedded within OCP Nutricrops, which funds the initiative. Administered by J-PAL Global, it supports randomized evaluations and collaboration with implementing partners to design, test, and scale evidence-based agricultural solutions.
UJALA supports embedded evaluations of OCP Nutricrops initiatives and researcher-led evaluations with other implementing partners. Its research priorities cover food-security subsidies, reducing low-income households’ reliance on imported food, barriers to technology adoption, access to input and output markets, and fertilizer customization. Particular emphasis falls on fertilizer use and adoption, soil health and fertility, and related agricultural challenges. Evidence synthesis and dissemination support agricultural development strategies across low- and middle-income countries.
