Using the Cloud Architecture to Automate the Farmer Input Support Programme (Fisp) Inventory System
Inventory processes in the agriculture sector of most developing countries Zambia inclusive still remain manual based. This has resulted in lengthy business processes and inconsistent data processing leading to tedious and complicated processes in the sector. A baseline study was carried out to make us understand the problem in the distribution and management of Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) The results from the study showed that warehouses were not linked to any computer system and had no computers. The results also show that 61.76% of record keeping was done on spreadsheets and relayed on manual systems to capture data. About 68% of the systems lacked proper monitoring and tracking mechanisms leading to stock theft. The study also revealed that 56% of thefts occurred at warehouses, 35% during transportation and 9% at satellite depots. The study also aimed at automating the inventory processes based on the results from the baseline study. A model was developed and used to come up with a prototype to integrate and automate business processes using barcode technology. The developed system showed improved processes in the FISP inventory system.