Bright and early on Tuesdays at the Batture, vendors begin setting up an array of goods ranging from locally produced honey to freshly cooked pupusas right next to the Mississippi River. Since its inception in 1995, nonprofit Market Umbrella has grown the weekly gathering from its single downtown origin to include multiple locations across New Orleans, including Uptown, Mid City and City park. In a place like New Orleans where food is so central to culture, the farmers market allows for a community of local producers to serve residents eager to find sustainable and economical produce.
Farmers markets offer an accessible option for college students seeking healthy, affordable food. According to a 2024 study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), 3.8 million college students reported experiencing food insecurity in 2020. As the general cost of being a college student (tuition, housing etc.) has grown in recent years, many students find it increasingly difficult to cover basic needs. As a result, food sources such as farmers markets have become an important resource.
Tulane senior India Polaceck commented on this struggle, “As a college student, I try my best to be affordable, so saving money on grocery store runs is really important. However, I’ve found that my affordable choices tend to be at the sacrifice of buying healthy foods, like fresh produce and organic foods. To save money, I end up buying more processed foods and less fresh fruits and vegetables, just because of the price tag. It’s so difficult to draw the line between making a financial decision and a healthy decision, as both are so vital, which makes me feel uneasy about prioritizing one or the other.”
Image via Veronica O’Brien
This perspective emphasizes the trade off faced by many college students: a choice between affordability and nutrition. However, The Crescent City Farmers Market has taken steps to combat this challenge through programs such as Market Match, which doubles the value of SNAP benefits for fruits and vegetables by up to $40 per market visit. For the many students navigating tight budgets, initiatives like this encourage healthier choices and reduce the need to sacrifice nutrition for cost.
Image via Veronica O’Brien
Aside from increasing access to more budget-friendly produce, the market also creates a bridge between students, residents, and the larger New Orleans community. Unlike popular grocery stores such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s, the Crescent City Farmers Market gives students the chance to meet local farmers, ask questions about how their food is produced, and engage in sustainable food practices.
For students curious about where their food comes from, those conversations can be eye opening. Coffee vendor Baruch Rabasa, who runs a stand at the market and recently opened Applied Arts Coffee Cafe, explained how sustainability shapes his work. “We import the beans from our farm in Colombia ourselves,” Rabasa said. “For all of our other coffee, we work with specialty coffee importers … who follow sustainable and socially responsible models in sourcing their coffee.” At his own family’s farm, he and his brother are experimenting with regenerative agriculture and biodiversity. Even the details of packaging get careful thought: his business uses compostable coffee bags and repurposes coffee byproducts — like grinds and chaff — by giving them to local farmers for compost.
For students trying to balance their budgets with eco-conscious values, Rabasa offered pragmatic advice: “You have to sometimes spend more money to use your purchasing power to be environmentally responsible, but over time as dollars spent on products acting responsibly get put back into research, these things ought to become more affordable … every choice you make matters over time.”
The Crescent City Farmers Market is more than a stop for fresh produce, it’s a meeting place. Here, students have the opportunity to talk with producers, learn how food is raised and sourced, and see what it means to eat with care for both health and the environment. In New Orleans, where food is deeply woven into identity and tradition, the market offers a practical way to shop affordably while becoming part of the city’s larger story.
Image via Veronica O’Brien
