Malit Yusuf Wako

Training

Malit completed both her Bachelors (B.Sc. In Range management) and Masters (Msc.Range management) at The University of Nairobi, Kenya Malit is currently a PhD student at CRDD, Marsabit and DITSL, Germany under the Increasing efficiency in rangeland-based value chains through machine learning and digital technologies (INFORANGE) project.

Career

Malit is a Range conservationist with over 5+ years of experience, knowledgeable of the current issues in Rangeland management. She worked for International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) as a research associate under the One health for Humans, environment, animals, and livelihoods (OH 4 HEAL) project within Isiolo in 2022. She took an active role at ILRI in contributing to integrative One Health activities- activities addressing the health of people, livestock and rangelands together-including collection and communication of monitoring information to HEAL, and distribution and dissemination of monitoring information on the ground. She worked with SNV Netherlands Development Organization as a junior consultant (livestock management) under the Laikipia, Isiolo and Samburu transforming environment through Nexus (LISTEN) project in 2021 Supporting the review and establishment of livestock multistakeholder platform (Involving pastoralists and agro- pastoralists, conservancies, private sector, and government) to enhance coordination across the Laikipia, Isiolo and Samburu counties. Malit has also worked as Livestock production (Range) officer at the Department of Livestock Production in Isiolo County (2019-2021) Malit has also worked as an intern at Northern Rangeland Trust (NRT) and at National Drought Management Authority (NDMA). She is currently a doctoral researcher with InfoRange project at DITSL and CRDD focusing at enhancing sustainable rangeland governance and decision-making through digital Information at different scales in Northern Kenya

Research Interests

Her main research and academic interest are in land degradation in arid, semi-arid, sub-humid environments, rangeland restoration, and improvement, especially enhancing revegetation of indigenous plant species, watershed management, and conservation of dryland biodiversity. Plant-soil interactions and land quality monitoring in natural, disturbed, and restored ecosystems – developing indicators of change. Understanding the genesis and properties of soils affected by aridity, to advocate better management of these soils. Application of physical land resources knowledge to NRM planning and decision-making, and in the evaluation and sustainable management of resources in drylands