Farming support for pregnant women in rural Kenya to improve mother and newborn nutrition
Official title: Randomized controlled trial of an agricultural livelihood intervention to improve maternal and newborn health and nutrition in Kenya
Funded at University of California, San Francisco · NIH-11261244 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project offers farming support to pregnant women in rural Kenya to try to improve mothers' nutrition and newborns' health.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | January 17, 2025 |
| Project end | December 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $395,832 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD116651-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11261244 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are pregnant women in early pregnancy who live in the rural Kenyan communities where the trial runs, including women living with HIV and those who rely on small-scale farming.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not pregnant, who live outside the study communities (for example in urban areas), or who do not rely on agriculture are unlikely to receive benefit from this intervention.
What this research studies
If I'm pregnant in a rural Kenyan community, researchers will enroll me early in pregnancy and provide agricultural inputs, training, or other livelihood support aimed at increasing food and income. The project compares women who receive this farming support with those who do not to see differences in birth outcomes, breastfeeding, maternal mood, and child growth. Study staff will collect health and nutrition information from mothers and babies and follow infants after birth. They will also learn what makes the farming program easier or harder to use during the perinatal period.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could increase household food and income, improve maternal nutrition, reduce poor birth outcomes, and support better infant growth and breastfeeding.
How similar studies have gone: Some livelihood and agricultural programs have improved household food security and nutrition in other settings, but starting such interventions during pregnancy is uncommon and remains largely untested.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cohen, Craig R — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Cohen, Craig R
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.