Evaluating factors affecting performance of flower cold chain logistics in Kenya: application of improved fuzzy SWARA method

The flower industry in Kenya is experiencing rapid growth, especially in the horticulture sub-sector. The efficiency of cold chain logistics for flowers is crucial to maintaining their freshness, quality and shelf life from harvest to end consumer. The study aims to identify and evaluate the various factors that influence the performance of cold chain logistics for Kenyan cut flowers. The study examined a total of fourteen factors that were identified through an extensive literature review and an expert meeting. Five flower logistics experts participated in the decision meeting. For this purpose, a multi-criteria decision-making method (MCDM) based on improved fuzzy stepwise weight assessment ratio analysis (IMF-SWARA) is applied to evaluate the factors affecting the performance of cut flower logistics. The findings indicated that the Shortage of skilled labor is the most critical factor affecting the performance of Kenyan flower cold chain logistics, while the least important factor is the Responsiveness of the demand.