Communicating social support during crises at the farmers’ market: A social exchange approach to understanding customer‐farmer communal relationships

This ethnographic research explores how the social support developed between customers and farmers at a farmers’ market creates an overall culture of community support that bolsters farmers’ viability during times of crisis and ensures that consumers will have access to healthy, high quality local food. This includes the ways customers provide a general culture of support for local farmers, as well as specific acts of support during times of crisis. It also examines the ways farmers support customers through specialized services and assistance with personal issues. This work draws on theory from the social support, social exchange and social resilience literature to interpret the results.