Research

Current Articles

Climate

Financing Circularity Reports 1 & 2

How can circular economy actors access the finance they need to scale impact? These two reports explore this critical question. Part 1: Bridging the Gap

Research

Canopy’s Lab Notes: Entry #3 on Keeping It Simple

In this third entry for Lab Notes, Senior Consultant Laura Kim chronicles how she learned how to keep things smart and simple, when it came to showcasing pre-COVID and post-COVID changes in international development practitioners’ desired levels of travel.

Market Systems Development

RECONOMY’s Inception Phase: Lessons on how to Navigate Complexity

Projects that follow the Market Systems Development (MSD) approach often have inception phases that include establishing initial partnerships to refine engagement strategies. For RECONOMY, however, this phase entailed much more. This case study explores the knowledge and experience gained during the project’s 2+ year inception.

Impact Investing

Investing and Engaging in the Care Economy: Briefs for Gender-Smart Investors and Other Actors

The Canopy Lab partnered with GenderSmart & 2X Collaborative Care Economy Working Group to produce two briefs to amplify the importance of investing in the care economy. These documents are geared toward investors, investment influencers and related actors who are interested in starting or deepening their engagement with the care economy through more gender-smart capital allocation.

Maha Elhayek

Senior Consultant

I specialize in market systems development in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Over the past decade, I have advised programs across the MENA region, Africa, and Eastern Europe. My work spans agricultural and industrial sectors, focusing on market systems assessments, program design, and strategies that expand opportunities for marginalized groups and support gender mainstreaming. I enjoy applying systems thinking to uncover structural barriers, co-create locally grounded solutions, and advise on private sector partnerships. I am currently passionate about applying MSD approaches to address climate change challenges.

Andrew Panton

Senior Consultant

I am committed to improving human livelihoods and resilience in balance with nature. At the Canopy Lab, I provide research and advisory support to projects working on biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation and resilience, nature-based solutions, sustainable tourism, and market systems development. Outside work, I’m a keen guitarist, cyclist and bookworm, with a love for food, travelling and learning languages.

JESSICA RUST-SMITH

Senior Consultant

I work across markets, business and supply chains, impact investing, agriculture, and women’s economic empowerment. I am an experienced monitoring, evaluation, research and learning consultant and project manager with expertise in the use of mixed methods, theory-based approaches and data collection and analysis. I have been working in M&E for market systems development for 10 years now, and going strong.