Marcus A. Coleman
Professor of Practice | Department of Economics | Tulane University
New Orleans, LA, UNITED STATES
Marcus A. Coleman is an expert in agriculture, local food systems, urban agriculture and food access.
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Biography
Marcus A. Coleman is a Professor of Practice at Tulane University with a joint appointment in the Department of Economics and the Strategy, Leadership, and Analytics Minor. Coleman is an experienced educator whose career is defined by a mixture of agriculture, food system, and student engagement roles. Growing up in Louisiana’s rural Mississippi River Delta region, Coleman was introduced early on to the disproportionate nature of the food system structure that often defines socially disadvantaged rural communities, which can lead to issues of accessibility, availability, and affordability related to food. These experiences led to Coleman’s interest in fostering equitable and sustainable food systems, via leadership development and community engagement, that are inclusively beneficial to all, economically, socially, environmentally, and politically. He received a B.S. in Agricultural Economics from Southern University, an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Michigan State University, and a Ph.D. in Agriculture and Extension Education from Louisiana State University.
Areas of Expertise (6)
Agriculture
Accessibility
Sustainable Agriculture
Food Systems Economics
Sustainable food systems
Equitable Food Systems
Education (3)
Louisiana State University: Doctor of Philosophy, Agriculture and Extension Education 2021
Michigan State University: Master of Science, Agriculture Economics 2008
Southern University: Bachelor of Science, Agriculture Economics 2006
Affiliations (7)
- Faculty Advisory Committee, Environmental Studies Program, Tulane University
- Chief Strategist, Growing Sustainable Systems, LLC
- Member, Racial Equity in the Food System Workgroup.
- Board Member, Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming (Ithaca, NY)
- Board Member, Ag Launch
- Board Member, Big River Economic and Agricultural Development Alliance (Baton Rouge, LA)
- Past Chair, SERA-47, Strengthening extension and research support for food systems needs and priorities.
Media Appearances (4)
Talking Business: Economist Marcus Coleman asks if we rely too much on the Mississippi River
Nola.com | The New Orleans Advocate
2023-10-09
Marcus Coleman is a professor in Tulane University's economics department who sums up his academic and policy interest as "equity in food systems." Having grown up in a rural area in northeast Louisiana's Mississippi River Delta region, his main geographic area of interest are the cotton, rice, sugar cane and other farmlands of his home state.
Black farmers rethink Mississippi Delta's potential as climate change ravages California
USA Today online
2023-07-14
When Marcus A. Coleman was in the agricultural economics graduate program at Michigan State University, several of his colleagues studied farming in the developing world. Coleman realized the problems they wanted to solve were the same ones found an hour away in Detroit. They were the same issues Coleman saw growing up in a small, predominantly Black town in the Louisiana corner of the Mississippi Delta. Coleman, now a professor at Tulane University, decided to focus his research closer to home.
Your Thanksgiving meal in Louisiana likely costs more this year. Here's why
WWNO - NPR radio
2021-11-22
Dr. Marcus Coleman, a visiting assistant professor at Tulane University with an academic background in agricultural economics, has observed this trend both on a personal level and on a macro scale.
On Their Ends: Years of flooding and catastrophic storms have Louisiana's seafood industry on the brink
Gambit | Nola.com online
2021-10-11
Marcus Coleman, an assistant professor at Tulane University who specializes in food systems, says the state is already seeing short-term effects on seafood supply from the storm and that the industry will be dealing with long-term effects for the foreseeable future.
Research Focus (7)
Short-Term Financial and Marketing Impact Assessment of COVID-19: Opportunities for Extension-based Support
Frelier, J., Bampasidou, M., Motsenbocker, C., & Coleman, M.A. (2023). Journal of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents, 16(1).
2023-06-01
JOURNAL OF THE NACAA
“Growing” Sustainable Horticulture Farmers
Coleman, M.A.; Bampasidou, M.; & Motsenbocker, C.E. (2022). Journal of Food Distribution Research, 53 (1).
2022-03-01
Journal of Food Distribution Research
COVID-19 and Marketing Challenges for Food Producers in Louisiana
Bampasidou, M., Frelier, J., Coleman, M.A., & Motsenbocker, C. (2022). Journal of Food Distribution Research, 53 (1).
2022-03-01
Journal of Food Distribution Research
Assessing the educational needs of new and beginning urban farmers in New Orleans, Louisiana
Coleman, M.A.; Bampasidou, M.; Motsenbocker, C.E.; McKinzie, W.R. (2021). Journal of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents, 14(1).
2021-06-01
Journal of NACAA
Understanding Consumer Preferences for Nutritious Foods: Retailing Strategies in a Food Desert.
Weatherspoon, D.D., Oehmke, J.F., Coleman, M.A., & Weatherspoon, L.J.
International Food and Agribusiness Management Review. Volume 17, Special Issue A.
Price and Expenditure Elasticities for Fresh Fruits in an Urban Food Desert.
Weatherspoon, D.D., Oehmke, J.F., Dembele, A.S., Coleman, M.A., Satimanon, T., & Weatherspoon, L.J.
Sage Journals
Will Long Term Food Desert Consumers Purchase Fresh Fruits and Vegetables?
Weatherspoon, D.D., Oehmke, J.F., Coleman, M.A., Dembele, A., & Weatherspoon, L.J.
2012-08-31
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