An Agricultural Intervention for HIV and STI Prevention

In July 2024, Drs. Jennifer Velloza, Sheri Weiser, and Marchianah Onono received funding from the National Institute of Mental Health to evaluate a unique program in Kenya called “Shamba Maisha”—which means “Farm Life” in Kiswahili.

The project provides families with water pumps and farming tools, offers sustainable agriculture training through school demonstration farms, and includes sessions to strengthen relationships between adolescents and their caregivers.

The study aims to:

• Understand whether the program helps reduce rates of sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhea and chlamydia among adolescent girls and young women.
• Explore how the program affects related issues like food security, household finances, mental health and caregiver-teen communication.
• Identify what helps or hinders successful implementation of the program and assess its overall cost.

By addressing environmental impacts, food insecurity, and sexual health all at once, this program could offer a powerful model for improving outcomes for adolescent girls and young women. The program also aligns with the NIH’s focus on the environment, health and HIV.