Half the 1,100 western Victorian women in this trial will regularly receive a box of vegetables grown with the help of school kids from Colac Secondary College. The other half will get food shopping vouchers.
The goal? To discover the extent to which nutrition during pregnancy and after the birth of a child impacts the brain health of the mum and bub.
What’s going on: Deakin University researchers are teaming with Colac Secondary College’s Farm My School’s market garden - launched in 2025 - to supply the regeneratively grown veggies and track the results. The trial is known as Farm PRT-E.
Regenerative farming involves focusing on soil health to grow diverse species of food, rather than relying on synthetic fertilisers.
Half of the 1,100 western Victorian women in the trial, which starts in six months, will be randomly selected to receive routine pregnancy care as well as nutrition education and locally grown produce.
The other half will receive pregnancy care and vouchers of the same value as the local vegetables. Currently, the school sells a small box of vegetables for $50 and a large box for $75.
What will they test? Deakin researchers will track the health and progress of the women over two years and monitor outcomes such as rates of postpartum depression and how early foods affect an infant’s gut lining or immune system.
The women will receive care through Barwon Health, Grampians Health, Colac Area Health and Western District Health Services.
Health benefits: Farm My School founder James McLennan told the Brolga regeneratively-grown food “has a huge impact on gut health and mental health”.
“By partnering with Deakin, we can actually really quantify how good this food is, the impacts it's having on mums, on babies, on families, and the broader community, benefits that are going to be long lasting as well.”
The food in the boxes will have a seasonal focus and include other locally-made ingredients from the region such as olive oil or lentils.
Practical benefits: Dr Samantha Dawson, a senior Alfred Deakin postdoctoral research fellow, said one in eight Australian households face food insecurity.
“Teaching people about healthy eating isn’t enough if healthy food isn’t accessible to them,” she said. “If effective, this approach could change how Australia supports expectant families through initiatives like Farm My School.”
Mothers interested in joining the trial can find more information here.