Website map and OFN

[CSA Network UK]

Hello again everyone,

Apologies for the multiple emails today. Could you please have a look at the proposal below for updating our maps on the website by embedding Open Food Network’s map and get back to me by the end of next week, 21 June with your questions or thoughts? If it looks like we need more discussion I can ask OFN for any clarification and put it on the July board meeting agenda but if not I’d like to get started on this as our maps on the individual member pages currently aren’t working.

A bit of background: We currently use Google maps on our website for the ‘find a CSA’ page and when you click through to the individual CSA pages on our website they also have a google map at the bottom of the page that shows their location. Earlier this year, Google maps started charging for use of their maps on websites. They currently give you a $200 credit each month so it shouldn’t actually cost anything in practice but of course its at their discretion of whether they will continue the credit or not. Because we haven’t opened a pay account with them the individual maps on each CSA page are not showing on our website. That’s why taking some action on this sooner than later would be good as we should fix our google map plug-in if we’re not going to switch to using OFN’s map. 

My proposed solution: The Open Food Network have their own map that is based on their open-source software. Maresa had previously spoken to them and made a suggestion but no action was taken so this may sound familiar. They have offered to enter all of the CSAs in the UK (we can probably differentiate between members and non-members in some way) onto their map and let us embed it on our website. It would be searchable on our website and would also mean people on OFN website searching for local food businesses would be able to find CSAs. It would also create a ‘CSA’ category on the OFN site so that people could easily identify CSAs and we would have a ‘presence’ as a distinct group on the OFN map. You can see what it would look like and how it would work by looking at the Biodynamic Association: https://www.biodynamic.org.uk/where-to-buy/ 

I believe it would be a good way for us to offer a searchable map and to also help support another local food organisation. Some of our CSAs already have a ‘shop’ on OFN because they sell through a local food hub (e.g. Stroud Community Agriculture) or to sell add-on items (e.g. Farnham Community Farm). By adding the rest of the CSAs to the map, they wouldn’t have to open a shop, but if they did want to in future they could and it might also allow more people to find them. OFN is also currently working on their platform to make it more user friendly for CSAs to actually manage memberships via the OFN website if they want and I know this is something a lot of CSAs have expressed a desire to streamline so that could be an added benefit in future as well if any of our members decide they would like to take advantage of that. 

If you have any questions please let me know and if it looks like we need more discussion I’ll put it on the July agenda but it’d be good to have your concerns/questions now so I can get some clarification from Nick if necessary. If it looks like everyone thinks its a good idea then I will start discussing the details with Nick at OFN about getting permission from our members to add them to their map and also writing up some agreement so that we’re confident our members won’t face charges in future to be listed on the OFN map (although I don’t think this is likely as it would be a bit of a shift from their ethos of open source, etc. and they only charge a small amount on sales through the platform).

Best,

Page Dykstra

CSA Network UK Coordinator 

csanet...@gmail.com

m: 07869630376

www.communitysupportedagriculture.org.uk

@CSANetwork

Please excuse any delay in responding, I work two days a week for CSA Network, usually Tuesday and Friday.

[Jessie Marcham]

Hi Page

Don't want to be negative, but I know Margaret has been moaning about the OFN map on and off, so might be worth checking with her what the issues are in case they are significant? I think the main problem was that our licensees aren't taking any responsibility for keeping their entries on the map up to date, and perhaps that updating is a bit of a cumbersome process.

Hope you find a good solution one way or another!

Jessie

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[CSA Network UK]

Hi everyone,

Please accept my apologies as the email below was meant to be sent to our board and staff email list which has a very similar email address… oops! That being said, if anyone has thoughts about how our map works (or doesn’t) for you and the possibility of changing to the OFN embedded map I’m always happy to hear thoughts from our members.

Best,

Page

Page Dykstra

CSA Network UK Coordinator 

csanet...@gmail.com

m: 07869630376

www.communitysupportedagriculture.org.uk

@CSANetwork

Please excuse any delay in responding, I work two days a week for CSA Network, usually Tuesday and Friday.