Crescent City Farmers Market, Loyola University New Orleans

The Twomey Center for Peace Through Justice at Loyola University New Orleans, houses and supports the Economics Institute, which works to initiate and promote ecologically sound economic development in the Greater New Orleans area.

The Economics Institute has developed the Crescent City Farmers Market, which gives local small farmers in the region the opportunity to sell their produce directly to consumers three times a week. The farmers market attracts 1500 people a week and has boosted the incomes of small farmers in the rural South--one of the most impoverished groups in the U.S. It has also helped to revitalize the urban core of the city.

The Economics Institute has also designed a model for other communities to link small-scale producers and consumers in a grassroots-powered, locally-based, and sustainable fashion. They have even sent a team to Bali to reach out in global solidarity and provide assistance to build community as well as promote sustainable development, a goal of Catholic Social Teaching.