Open Food Network

Open Food Network is an open-source web application that provides a digital marketplace for local food systems. It enables the creation of a network of independent online food stores that connect farmers and food hubs, including cooperatives, online farmers markets, and independent food businesses, with individual consumers and local commercial entities. This infrastructure allows producers to manage the distribution of their goods through a decentralized web interface.

The software is deployed as a server-based application, requiring a dedicated environment for hosting the marketplace. It is designed to handle the complexities of local food supply chains, providing the necessary tools for managing inventory, orders, and the logistics of moving produce from the farm to the end user. The system is intended for use by organizations that prioritize sustainable consumption and local food sovereignty.

Key features

• Support for independent online food stores
• Connectivity between farmers and food hubs
• Tools for local business procurement
• Management of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) models
• Integration for food cooperatives
• Support for online farmers markets
• Server provisioning via Ansible playbooks
• Administrative configuration tools for server management

The application is developed using the Ruby on Rails framework and is released under the AGPL license. It is maintained by the Open Food Foundation and a global network of affiliates. For deployment, the project provides Ansible playbooks to automate the provisioning of servers and a Super Admin Guide to assist with the initial configuration of the environment. The development process incorporates automated testing via RSpec and Capybara, with manual testing conducted through BrowserStack.

Open Food Network is a full-stack e-commerce and logistics platform tailored for non-profit organizations and community-led food initiatives. It focuses on redistributing power within agri-food systems by providing the technical means for local producers to operate independently.