Dr Dorcas Stella Shumba is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow under the African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI) at the University of Cape Town. Her research assesses the recent advances in, and challenges for, weather index insurance in managing climate change risk among smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, and is funded by Carnegie Corporation, New York. Dr Shumba is involved in climate advocacy as a Green Ambassador for Climate Change in Africa. To improve her capacity for the effective participation and involvement in national, regional and global climate change policy processes and decision making, Dr Shumba has recently completed a Climate Leadership and Diplomacy Course through the African Group of Negotiators Experts Support (AGNES) program and Science Diplomacy Course through AAAS TWAS. In her consultative roles, Dr Shumba serves as an Advisory Board Member (Environment & Corporate Social Responsibility) for the Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (ZISCO Steel), and Climate Change Consultant contributing towards the drafting of a World Bank sponsored Climate Change Public Expenditure and Institutional Review (CPEIR) for Zimbabwe. Dr Shumba holds a PhD in Development Studies from Massey University in New Zealand.