Leveraging GIS in Supply Chain Management for Floriculture Application: Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Agriculture continues to be the bedrock of Kenya’s economy at 24% of the GDP with 80% of the population living in the rural areas. Horticulture one of the sub-sectors in agriculture generates US$1 billion annually. The favorable weather provides an environment for the flower industry to thrive. However, flowers are a very delicate commodity and require appropriate management to minimize losses due to decay. A GIS based system is thus desirable to manage the flower chain from the supplier that is the farms, to distributors and eventually to the florists/consumers. The goal of this study therefore was to leverage the use of GIS in managing the supply chain for floriculture application using Nairobi County as a case study. One of the objectives addressed involved identification of optimal or alternative routes for efficient delivery of flowers from the source to the consumer using Network analysis. Ensuring that customers receive the right flowers in terms of quality and quantity was also addressed using Business Intelligence analysis. Trace analysis was done to provide information to the consumers on the source of the flowers and the growing conditions. From the case study, City Market acted as the link between the flower farms and the florists/consumers. The results obtained were presented using maps, graphs, pie charts and tables. The Central Business District (CBD) was found to be the largest purchaser compared to other regions and the months considered. Karen and CBD were the highest purchasers of Lilies whereas Ferns were preferred in Westlands. The CBD registered high level of satisfaction followed by Karen. Greenhouses and hydroponic methods were used for growing flowers resulting in variations in terms of vase life and stem length. GIS in SCM for floriculture application is useful in understanding the floriculture business environment.