being smart essay

Intelligence

What smart really is, do you think of yourself as exceptionally smart.

Posted December 22, 2017

In today's society, being smart is usually associated with measures such as IQ ( Intelligence quotient ), EQ ( emotional intelligence quotient) or some similar way of calculating how smart you are. However, the world is becoming increasingly aware of the absurdity of IQ scores and how do they do not correlate with intelligence or job performance . And a high EQ too, though sometimes helpful, has been shown to have negative effects on health, academic and job outcomes. Given these paradoxical findings, how should we be thinking of our own smartness, as well as the smartness of people we teach, partner with, marry, hire, or lead?

What about the immeasurable qualities of intelligence? There are things about you that are measurable, like how well you do at math tests, and how well you perform in a particular sport. But there is a large part of your intelligence that is immeasurable, yet very impactful. Called qualia , these are private conscious experiences that you cannot describe to others. Your brain is wired to transmit these intangible messages. You feel them, yet you cannot explain them. That's what might make one designer make a red tie that stands out from the rest. Their understanding of the redness of red is different.

So what? Don't always assume that what you see is what others see. There are many of your own subtleties that you may bring to the table. For example, you might want to start a T-shirt business, and people may say there are too many others to compete with. Yet, your qualia may guide you to a unique T-shirt business that allows you to be profitable.

Does curiosity count? You may be a deeply curious person, yet you may not think of this as your intelligence. It's notable that we ignore curiosity, yet this is one of the key ingredients of intelligence. Curiosity rewards your brain , and it even helps you remember more because it stimulates memory circuits in the brain. It also influences how we make decisions . We may choose to go down one path versus another simply because we are curious.

We routinely underestimate curiosity, yet it can produce some amazing results. Take the " One Laptop Per Child " project, where children in rural Ethiopia who had never seen technology before found the on/off switch within minutes. Within five days they were using 47 apps per day per child, and they also were able to sing ABC songs within 2 weeks. Within five months, they had hacked Android without a degree in Computer Science.

So what? Qualifications can only get you so far. Often, it's a genuine curiosity that matters. Genuine curiosity can stimulate memory and help your brain make connections. Rather than be imprisoned by your qualifications, ask yourself, "What am I truly curious about?" Then pursue that further. Qualifications can open doors, but in so doing, they may inadvertently make you close the door to yourself.

You don't have to be systematic: I resisted writing my latest book in a totally systematic way because I wanted people to face the reality that my systems may be satisfying to understand, but they do not correlate with the systems in your head. Those are the systems that matter, and they may not correlate with the systems of others.

Take Kary Banks Mullis, for example, a Nobel laureate who refined our understanding of the polymerase chain reaction so that we can make synthetic DNA . Many people ignored him at first. He was the consummate explorer, and even said , "I never tired of tinkering in labs." Yet, his discovery did not come from hours of systematic work in a laboratory. It came to him while he was on a drive from Berkeley to Mendocino. He rarely consulted experts, and he was not a slave to feedback. In fact, his colleagues thought he was rather disorderly. Yet, somehow, his disorderliness led to a discovery.

So what? You may feel like you are all over the place, but like Mullis, you may actually be truly alive and in the line with a real discovery. While prescribed "methods," "feedback," and "controlled experiments" are meant to guide you, they also imprison your mind. Free thinking is every bit as valid as controlled experiments. And oftentimes, this is what allows you to make the leaps that you want. So, from time to time, face your fears about what others think of you, and ask yourself, "What do I truly want to do?" You'll be surprised by how far you have strayed from the path of your actual intelligence when you see how conformity has stopped you from being yourself. This is no harm to this if you don't hurt others in the process.

Conclusion : IQ and EQ reflect domains of intelligence, but they are not the be-all and end-all of it. Rather, your uniqueness, curiosity and freedom from authority also contribute to your intelligence. All of these dimensions of intelligence may help or hurt you. So, seek ways in which they help you. Express them. And ignore the naysayers who want to define you by conventional metrics. You can learn from others, but they should not own you or your mind simply because they have decided what intelligent is. Through your own self-discovery, you can redefine what intelligence is.

Srini Pillay, M.D. , is the author of Tinker Dabble Doodle Try: Unlock the Power of the Unfocused Mind . He is also a former Assistant Clinical Professor at Harvard Medical School and current chief medical officer and co-founder of Reulay.

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October 3, 2017

Why Do Smart People Do Foolish Things?

Intelligence is not the same as critical thinking—and the difference matters

By Heather A. Butler

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We all probably know someone who is intelligent but does surprisingly stupid things. My family delights in pointing out times when I (a professor) make really dumb mistakes. What does it mean to be smart or intelligent ? Our everyday use of the term is meant to describe someone who is knowledgeable and makes wise decisions, but this definition is at odds with how intelligence is traditionally measured. The most widely known measure of intelligence is the intelligence quotient, more commonly known as the IQ test, which includes visuospatial puzzles, math problems, pattern recognition, vocabulary questions and visual searches.

The advantages of being intelligent are undeniable. Intelligent people are more likely to get better grades and go farther in school. They are more likely to be successful at work. And they are less likely to get into trouble (for example, commit crimes) as adolescents. Given all the advantages of intelligence, though, you may be surprised to learn that it does not predict other life outcomes, such as well-being. You might imagine that doing well in school or at work might lead to greater life satisfaction, but several large-scale studies have failed to find evidence that IQ impacts life satisfaction or longevity. University of Waterloo psychologist Igor Grossmann and his colleagues argue that most intelligence tests fail to capture real-world decision-making and our ability to interact well with others. This is, in other words, perhaps why “smart” people do “dumb” things.

The ability to think critically, on the other hand, has been associated with wellness and longevity. Though often confused with intelligence, critical thinking is not intelligence. Critical thinking is a collection of cognitive skills that allow us to think rationally in a goal-orientated fashion and a disposition to use those skills when appropriate. Critical thinkers are amiable skeptics. They are flexible thinkers who require evidence to support their beliefs and recognize fallacious attempts to persuade them. Critical thinking means overcoming all kinds of cognitive biases (for instance, hindsight bias or confirmation bias).

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Critical thinking predicts a wide range of life events. In a series of studies, conducted in the U.S. and abroad, my colleagues and I have found that critical thinkers experience fewer bad things in life. We asked people to complete an inventory of life events and take a critical thinking assessment (the Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment). The critical thinking assessment measures five components of critical thinking skills, including verbal reasoning, argument analysis, hypothesis testing, probability and uncertainty, decision-making and problem-solving.

The inventory of negative life events captures different domains of life such as academic (for example, “I forgot about an exam”), health (“I contracted a sexually transmitted infection because I did not wear a condom”), legal (“I was arrested for driving under the influence”), interpersonal (“I cheated on my romantic partner who I had been with for more than a year”), financial (“I have over $5,000 of credit-card debt”), and so on. Repeatedly, we found that critical thinkers experience fewer negative life events. This is an important finding because there is plenty of evidence that critical thinking can be taught and improved.

Is it better to be a critical thinker or to be intelligent? My latest research pitted critical thinking and intelligence against each other to see which was associated with fewer negative life events. People who were strong on either intelligence or critical thinking experienced fewer negative events, but critical thinkers did better.

Intelligence and improving intelligence are hot topics that receive a lot of attention. It is time for critical thinking to receive a little more of that attention. Keith E. Stanovich wrote an entire book in 2009 about What Intelligence Tests Miss . Reasoning and rationality more closely resemble what we mean when we say a person is smart rather than spatial skills and math ability. Furthermore, improving intelligence is difficult. Intelligence is largely determined by genetics. Critical thinking, though, can improve with training, and the benefits have been shown to persist over time. Anyone can improve their critical thinking skills. Doing so, we can say with certainty, is a smart thing to do.

Heather A. Butler is an assistant professor in the psychology department at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Her numerous research interests include critical thinking, advanced learning technologies, and the use of psychological science to prevent wrongful convictions.

What Does It Mean to Be Smart: A Comprehensive Explanation

Sanju Pradeepa

Have you ever heard someone say they are “smart?” What did they mean? To some, being smart means being able to think quickly and solve complex problems. To others, it means having deep knowledge of certain subject matters. Still, other people might relate the term to creativity and innovation.

So what does it mean to be smart? It means that you are able to think analytically and apply knowledge to solve problems. It also means that you can understand and be aware of the complexities of the world and the people in it.

Table of Contents

What does it mean to be smart.

Being smart is more than just having a good grade point average or a high IQ score. It’s about being able to think critically, solve problems, and make sound decisions. Being smart means understanding the world around you and embracing the power of learning new things.

Having a high IQ score or being academically successful is certainly part of being smart. But it’s also about having the ability to take what you’ve learned and apply it in new situations.  It’s about understanding how different pieces of information fit together and how to use them to your advantage. It’s also about being able to form relationships, communicate effectively, and understand others’ perspectives.

Smart people are adept problem solvers who have the capacity to think objectively while applying logic and imagination to their work. They often possess an impressive memory, and they know how to use technology as well as traditional methods in order to research answers to complex questions. In short, being smart means having the ability to think deeply and effectively in order to understand complex topics and problems.

Characteristics of Being Smart

There are plenty more ways to describe your smartness. People in this world are born in different ways that set them apart from one another. They demonstrate their smarts in a variety of ways as a result of the number of experiences, knowledge, skills they possess and also through unfair advantages .

Smart people are usually good problem solvers, thinkers, and have a generally positive attitude . They are also excellent communicators and are able to articulate their opinions clearly and calmly.

Being smart is not about having all the answers or knowing the latest trends by heart. It’s about staying curious, open-minded , and aware. Smart people are independent learners who don’t just wait for instructions; they look for solutions.

These traits and behaviors can be developed and improved:

• Develop critical thinking skills: try to view events from different perspectives, never take anything for granted, question values, and challenge assumptions.
• Broaden your horizons: read books beyond your comfort zone ; explore different cultures via travel or research; watch TED talks.
• Have an open mind: don’t judge or criticize until you understand the other person’s point of view or the logical basis of the argument they are making (even if it conflicts with yours).
• Stay organized: make lists of tasks or goals you want to achieve in order to stay on top of them instead of feeling overwhelmed due to a lack of direction .
• Continually strive for knowledge: learn something new every day by reading articles, listening to podcasts, or enrolling in classes or workshops that help you expand your knowledge base and help improve your skillset.

Let’s see.

1. Improving Analytical Thinking

Analytical thinking involves breaking down a problem into individual pieces to see how they relate to each other and to the larger issue. You must also be open-minded, taking data from different sources and perspectives before coming to a conclusion or solution.

It is also important because it allows us to make better, more informed decisions by looking at all of the facts and evidence. It also helps us identify potential problems before they occur, as well as develop solutions to those problems. Also, it enables us to assess the effectiveness of current systems and procedures so that we may make changes as necessary.

Finally, analytical thinking is essential for problem-solving. It’s not enough just to observe a problem; you must be able to identify the various components of the problem and come up with a plan of action that will solve it in an effective manner. Being able to think analytically will help you identify the best solution more quickly and efficiently.

2. Strengthening Problem Solving and Creativity

Not only are learning and education important for being smart, but also having the ability to solve problems and be creative in your thinking. In order to strengthen your problem-solving skills, it’s important to assess the challenges you’re facing, break down the issue, and come up with a plan of attack. Being able to identify potential solutions and evaluate their success can help you tackle problems more efficiently.

Furthermore, creativity is an essential component of being smart. It’s important to think outside the box and explore different paths that can lead to success. With creativity, you can come up with innovative solutions and approaches that others may not have considered. This allows you to leverage your knowledge and skills in more powerful ways. Additionally, fostering a creative mindset allows you to become more comfortable with failure, which encourages you to keep trying different approaches until you find one that works for you.

Fortunately, there are many ways you can increase your problem-solving and creativity skills:

• Take on difficult tasks. By tackling tough problems on a regular basis, it forces you to use analytical thinking and evaluate multiple possibilities.
• Practice open-ended questions. Open-ended questions help stimulate critical thinking by encouraging more complex answers from those around you.
• Try new activities. Expand your horizons by engaging in new activities that can help foster creativity, like drawing or writing poetry.
• Spend time brainstorming – Brainstorming is an effective way of identifying new concepts and potential solutions that could address an issue

3. Developing Self-Awareness

Have you ever found yourself in a situation and realized afterwards that you haven’t quite handled it the best way? Well, being smart means having the self-awareness to recognize when that’s happened and why.

It’s important to be self-aware. It helps you see your own strengths and weaknesses and set realistic goals for yourself. It leads to greater self-confidence and improved decision-making. And if you fall short of achieving your goals, it can help you stay motivated to continue working hard until you do succeed.

Self-awareness comes from understanding your feelings, needs, beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors basically everything that makes up who you are. To develop it:

• Take the time to reflect on yourself think about how your decisions are affecting the people around you and what drives your behavior.
• Make an effort to become more aware of how other people perceive you; ask for feedback from trusted peers or mentors.
• Identify any negative patterns in thinking or behavior that may be holding you back.
• Celebrate successes (no matter how small) and learn from mistakes.
• Practice mindfulness exercises such as yoga or meditation.

By developing self-awareness, it will be easier for you to understand what drives your thought processes so that you can make smarter decisions in everything from work tasks to personal relationships.

4. Building Interpersonal Skills

In addition to having a good grasp of facts and knowledge, being smart also means having good interpersonal skills . This can include things such as:

• Active listening: being able to understand the conversation that’s going on around you and actively participating in it.
• Empathy means being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and understand their perspective.
• Flexibility: being able to adjust your thinking based on changing circumstances or different points of view
• Open-Mindedness: Being willing to consider new ideas, approaches, and thoughts before making a decision or forming an opinion.
• Problem-Solving: Being able to identify problems and come up with creative solutions quickly and efficiently.
• Resilience : being able to bounce back from adversity or setbacks with grace and strength

Good interpersonal skills are essential for success in any field, whether you’re in business, education, or the arts. Smartness isn’t just about memorizing facts; it’s also about knowing how to work with others and get along well in life.

The Advantages of Being Smart

Being smart has lots of advantages you can access new experiences, think more deeply, and find solutions to problems quickly. Here are some of the benefits of having a high IQ or being smart:

“Education is not the learning of the facts, but the training of the mind to think.”    Albert Einstein

Having good cognitive skills can make you more successful in school and get better grades, making you eligible for higher-level coursework or advanced degrees. This can open up opportunities for higher-paying jobs with great benefits.

Smart people often have great careers. Smart people are typically more creative and able to solve complex problems, which makes them more desirable candidates for jobs that require creative thinking and problem-solving skills.

Personal Growth.

Smart people tend to be more aware of their own emotions and the emotions of others, which helps them navigate relationships better. They can also be creative when finding solutions to personal problems and obstacles they may face in life.

Ultimately, the advantages of being smart boil down to having a greater understanding of the world around you and being able to use this knowledge to your advantage. Being smarter leads to greater success in school, work, and personal relationships, so it’s worth taking the time to increase your intelligence.

What does it mean to be smart? It means that you are able to think analytically and apply knowledge to solve problems. It also means that you can understand and be aware of the complexities of the world and the people in it.

Being smart doesn’t just mean having a high IQ or excelling in academics. Being smart means being able to understand and find solutions to complex issues, even when there are no right answers.

At its core, intelligence is an incredibly complex and nuanced concept. Being smart is a multifaceted skill set that requires the right combination of knowledge, problem-solving skills, and life experience. Ultimately, the best way to become more intelligent is to continually challenge yourself and strive to understand the world around you.

• 5 Ways Smart People Sabotage Their Success by  Alice Boyes from Harvard Business Review
• Can You Make Yourself Smarter? BY Dan Hurely – The New York Times Magazine
• What Does It Mean to Be Smart? by Robert J. Sternberg , from ascd.org

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How to Describe a Smart Person in Writing (21 Tips + Examples)

When it comes to describing a smart person, merely labeling them as “intelligent” or “clever” won’t suffice.

Here’s how to describe a smart person in writing:

Describe a smart person in writing by focusing on characteristics like problem-solving, innovative thinking, and a love for learning. Use descriptive words like “ingenious” or phrases such as “quick on their feet.” Showcase their skills through actions, dialogue, and insights.

In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to describe a smart person in writing.

The Intellectual Aura

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People who are smart often carry themselves with a certain gravitas or intellectual aura that’s hard to ignore.

This atmosphere is created not just by what they say, but also by their general demeanor.

The way they walk, the gaze of their eyes, or even their silence can radiate intelligence.

Example : Laura entered the room and the chatter dimmed.

She had a way of carrying herself—shoulders back, eyes steady—that made you want to stand up straighter and think before you spoke.

A Curious Cat

Smart people often exhibit an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

Their curiosity knows no bounds, and this can be reflected in the variety of subjects they’re interested in.

Or the questions they ask.

They are the kind of people who would open up a broken clock to understand its mechanism or read a book about quantum physics just for the fun of it.

Example : “Have you ever wondered how bees communicate?” Mark asked, flipping through a dense textbook on animal behavior, his eyes alight with curiosity.

Speedy Synapses

Quick thinking is a hallmark of intelligence.

Smart people can process information faster than most, making connections that others might miss.

They often come to logical conclusions or solve complex problems quicker than you can say “Einstein.”

Example : During the meeting, Sarah immediately pointed out the flaws in the proposed business model, outlining alternative strategies before anyone else had even finished processing the PowerPoint slides.

The Wisdom Well

Intelligence isn’t solely about having a high IQ.

It also includes wisdom.

A smart person often shows exceptional judgment and makes decisions based not only on factual knowledge but also on a deep understanding of life’s complexities.

Example : “Perhaps we should consider the long-term consequences,” George suggested, cutting through the room’s eagerness for quick profits with a single, wisdom-laced comment.

Linguistic Acrobatics

An extensive ability to use language creatively are typical characteristics of a smart person.

They have a way with words that can make even the most complicated subjects understandable and engaging.

Example : Amelia articulated her point so eloquently that even those unfamiliar with the topic found themselves nodding in agreement, captivated by her lexical prowess.

Analytical Alchemy

Smart people often possess an innate ability to analyze situations or problems, breaking them down into their fundamental parts.

This analytical thinking allows them to understand issues at their root level.

Making problem-solving a much simpler task for them.

Example : Within minutes, Jane dissected the computer code, isolating the tiny fragment responsible for the system crash.

Strategic Mastermind

Good strategists are often highly intelligent, able to plan multiple steps ahead while contemplating possible outcomes.

Their minds work like chess players, constantly working to outmaneuver obstacles in their paths.

Example : Faced with limited resources and a tight deadline, Kevin orchestrated a plan that not only met the deadline but also exceeded project expectations.

Emotional Einstein

Emotional intelligence is another aspect that contributes to a person’s overall smartness.

An emotionally intelligent individual is adept at understanding and managing their own emotions.

As well as interpreting and influencing the emotions of others.

Example : Rachel sensed the tension in the room and swiftly diffused it with a well-timed joke, turning the confrontational meeting into a collaborative discussion.

A Sense of Skepticism

Highly intelligent people often have a healthy dose of skepticism.

They’re not easily swayed by popular opinion and will usually scrutinize information critically before accepting it as truth.

Example: While everyone raved about the groundbreaking technology, Oliver decided to dig deeper, soon uncovering several hidden drawbacks that no one else had considered.

Poised Under Pressure

The ability to maintain one’s composure in stressful situations is a telltale sign of intelligence.

Smart people often remain unflappable, even in high-pressure environments.

Which allows them to think clearly and make rational decisions.

Example : Amidst the chaos of the emergency room, Dr. Linda remained calm, her mind sharply focused as she orchestrated the staff to handle multiple critical cases simultaneously.

In today’s world, being technologically savvy is often equated with intelligence.

A smart person usually has a good grasp of the latest technologies and can easily adapt to new software or devices.

Example : Within a day of receiving the new software, Tim had already mastered its complex features, leaving the rest of the team in awe of his tech-savvy nature.

Reading People Like Books

A keen understanding of human behavior often suggests a high level of intelligence.

Smart people can easily gauge others’ feelings or intentions.

This skill often gives them an upper hand in social situations.

Example : Maria could tell by the slight hesitation in John’s voice and the way he avoided eye contact that he wasn’t being entirely honest.

Memory Lane

Excellent memory often accompanies intelligence.

Smart people are generally good at retaining information, recalling facts, figures, or events with relative ease.

Example : Without a moment’s pause, Emily recited the complete list of Nobel Prize winners in Physics for the past three decades, much to everyone’s astonishment.

Nuanced Negotiator

Intelligent individuals often excel in negotiation settings.

They know how to read people, coupled with excellent analytical and strategic thinking

A combo that allows them to negotiate successfully even in the most complicated situations.

Example: With a series of well-placed arguments and counteroffers, Robert managed to turn a seemingly disastrous business deal into a win-win situation for everyone involved.

The Problem Solver

Smart people have an uncanny ability to find solutions to complex problems that stump others.

They relish challenges and often view problems as opportunities to exercise their intellectual muscle.

Example : Faced with a supply chain disruption, Lisa quickly devised a cost-effective backup plan that saved the company thousands of dollars.

Innovative Instincts

Innovation is often a byproduct of a sharp intellect.

Intelligent individuals are usually creative thinkers, unafraid to venture outside conventional norms to come up with groundbreaking ideas.

Sometimes people say that geniuses think “sideways.”

Example : Undeterred by the limitations of existing materials, Alan developed a new alloy that revolutionized the construction industry.

Holistic Thinker

Smart people often possess the ability to think holistically, considering multiple perspectives and their interrelationships.

This helps them make well-rounded decisions that take into account the bigger picture.

Example : Sara evaluated the project from economic, environmental, and social angles, ensuring that it would be sustainable in the long run.

Avid Learner

A hallmark of an intelligent person is an insatiable love for learning.

Whether it’s mastering a new skill or devouring books on diverse topics, their quest for knowledge never ends.

Example : Even during his vacation, Alex found time to complete an online course on Ancient Greek philosophy, his latest intellectual endeavor.

An intelligent person doesn’t just skim the surface.

They dive deep into topics, exploring them in great detail.

This depth of understanding enables them to engage in insightful discussions and contribute meaningfully to projects.

Example : Rather than settling for a basic understanding of the subject, Hannah delved into years of research papers, emerging with a nuanced grasp of the issue at hand.

Critical Listener

Being a good listener is another attribute of intelligent individuals.

They actively listen, ask insightful questions, and process information critically.

All of this helps them understand and solve problems.

Example : During the panel discussion, Sean’s keen observations and probing questions not only clarified the topic but also sparked a much-needed debate.

The Mentor Mindset

Last but not least, smart people often possess a mentor mindset.

They enjoy sharing their knowledge and wisdom with others.

Not as a way to show off, but as a genuine attempt to help others grow.

Example : Rebecca took the new recruit under her wing, patiently guiding him through the intricacies of the job and enriching his professional journey.

Here is a good video that will help you learn how to describe a smart person in writing:

30 Best Words to Describe a Smart Person

Words are powerful tools when it comes to painting a vivid picture of someone’s intelligence.

The English language has a rich array of vocabulary that can describe a person’s smarts in different contexts.

Whether you are focusing on analytical skills, wisdom, or emotional intelligence, there’s likely a word to fit the bill.

• Intellectual
• Knowledgeable
• Exceptional
• Quick-witted
• Resourceful
• Perspicacious

30 Best Phrases to Describe a Smart Person

Phrases offer a more nuanced way of describing intelligence.

They allow you to add context or specific attributes to the general notion of being smart.

Feel free to mix and match these phrases to build a description that perfectly encapsulates the smart person you’re writing about.

• A walking encyclopedia
• Quick on their feet
• An old soul in a young body
• Light-years ahead of the curve
• A natural problem solver
• Wise beyond their years
• A critical thinker
• As sharp as a tack
• Always two steps ahead
• A whiz with numbers
• A master of deduction
• A sponge for knowledge
• Quick to grasp new concepts
• Born with a silver tongue
• Mentally agile
• A reservoir of wisdom
• A strategic genius
• Unflappably calm under pressure
• A prodigious talent
• A fountain of ingenuity
• Remarkably insightful
• A keen observer of human behavior
• Always ahead of the game
• Quick to connect the dots
• Naturally resourceful
• A seasoned negotiator
• Impressively articulate
• Masterfully eloquent
• Technologically savvy
• Never misses a beat

3 Examples of a Full Description of a Smart Character

Let’s put all of our tips into practice in three full descriptions of a smart character in different genres.

Detective Fiction: Sarah, The Perceptive Detective

Sarah wasn’t just any detective – she was a human lie detector, a master of reading people.

Her eyes were perceptive, dissecting every twitch, every uncomfortable shift. She had an uncanny ability to piece together disparate facts like a puzzle, creating a coherent narrative that eluded others.

It wasn’t just her knack for clues. It was her psychological insight that separated her from the rest. “Sometimes, the evidence is not just in things, but in people,” she would say.

Fantasy: Elrion, The Wise Elf Mage

Elrion was no ordinary elf.

His wisdom spanned centuries, captured in piercing blue eyes that had witnessed the rise and fall of kingdoms.

A scholar and a mage, he held an unparalleled understanding of ancient spells and the delicate balance of nature.

Yet, his true intelligence lay in his emotional acuity, his ability to rally different races—elves, dwarfs, and humans—toward a common goal. “Intelligence is not merely the retention of knowledge,” Elrion explained. “But the application of wisdom.”

Science Fiction: Dr. Aria, The Genius Scientist

In the distant future, Dr. Aria stood as the pinnacle of human intellect.

A polymath versed in multiple scientific disciplines, she was the architect behind the life-sustaining technologies that powered the colonies on Mars. Yet, what made her truly exceptional was her ethical compass—she had managed to integrate humanity into technology, ensuring that advancements served not just efficiency but morality.

“Being smart is understanding the science,” she cautioned, “Being wise is knowing its limits.”

Final Thoughts: How to Describe a Smart Person in Writing

By incorporating these 21 tips into your writing, you can create a multi-dimensional character that not only resonates intelligence but also captivates your readers.

Remember, smartness comes in many shapes and forms.

It’s your job as a writer to portray it in its full glory.

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The Smart Goal-Setting Process: Motivation and Empowerment Essay

Introduction, smart objectives, smart career goals.

SMART goal-setting was first introduced by Dr. Edwin Locke in the 1960s (Griffin, 2017). According to Locke, setting goals that fit into the SMART criteria provided motivation and empowerment to people, which was crucial to ensure that the goals are achieved (Griffin, 2017). Today, SMART criteria are applied to the goal-setting process in many organizations, regardless of their size and area of business. The rules are universal and can also be applied to personal goals, which makes them an excellent tool for developing a career plan.

The first criterion emphasizes that goals need to be specific and relevant to the desired outcome (Joseph, 2017). Setting general goals may reduce motivation, as the path to achieving them becomes unclear (Joseph, 2017).

In order to achieve success in pursuing a goal, there has to be a way to measure success, which is why the second point of SMART goals theory is that the goals need to be measurable (Joseph, 2017). By measuring success, it is possible to monitor the progress towards the goal, which ultimately improves motivation.

The third criterion to be applied to goals is attainability. A goal that is impossible to achieve becomes a burden rather than an opportunity, as all the efforts put in by the person will not help him or her to attain the goal. If the goal is achievable, on the other hand, it is possible to devise a clear strategy to ensure that it is reached.

The next criterion emphasizes the need for the goal to be realistic, which means that a goal has to be set with consideration of the current circumstances. If the goal is set too high comparing to the current career level, reaching it will be hardly possible.

The final stage of goal-setting is ensuring that the goals are time-bound. Setting a definite time limit by which the goal has to be achieved creates a sense of urgency, which may become a substantial motivating factor.

My ultimate aim is to become a Registered Nurse. However, there are three main stages that have to be completed before I can reach the desired position.

Stage One: Graduate from Regis Health Care Administration

The first step in my career plan is to graduate from Regis College with a degree in Health Care Administration. In order to do that, I need to complete all of the program requirements and courses, which is a specific objective. The goal can be easily measured, and the result of completing the goal will be receiving a Diploma that marks the successful ending of the course. I believe that this aim is also attainable, as I am working towards completing the course and so far my grades have been acceptable. Completing this stage of the plan is realistic, as the goal is set based on my current level of education and abilities. Finally, the expected time of completion is Summer 2018, which makes the goal time-bound.

Stage Two: Enroll in an Accelerated Nursing Program

After I receive my certificate in Health Care Administration, I will need to enroll in a nursing program to continue my nursing education. I plan on applying for an accelerated nursing program at Regis, Metro, or Denver School, which is a specific objective. Acceptance into the program will be the ultimate measure of success, which means that the goal is measurable. It is also attainable and realistic, as it is the next step after I graduate from my HCA program; I am aware of the requirements of these schools and believe that I can attain the results needed for acceptance. Finally, the anticipated start of the program is in Fall 2018, which sets a specific time limit for the goal.

Stage Three: Work as an RN in Sandalwood Rehabilitation Center

The ultimate goal of my career plan is to achieve an RN position at Sandalwood Rehabilitation Center, where I currently work as a CNA. This aim is specific, as it mentions the position and place of work. The goal is also measurable, as I will know when I receive this position. The goal is attainable, as I have been successful in my work here so far and I believe that upon completion of the nursing course, I will be accepted to work as an RN. The aim is also realistic as I understand the requirements of the position and the path to achieving certification. Finally, the time limit of the goal will be estimated as soon as I complete the second stage of the plan, as it depends on the length of the nursing program that I will complete. As soon as I receive the certification, I believe it will take me up to six months to gain an RN position.

Overall, I believe that separating my career plan into three SMART goals is a useful practice to gain more understanding of how to achieve the ultimate career aim. SMART goal-setting ensures that the goals are not unrealistic, which provides more motivation to work towards the goals. I feel that my current abilities and the chosen path of development will help me to reach my final goal and to receive an RN position at Sandalwood Rehabilitation Center.

Griffin, D. (2017). The SMART goal-setting process . Web.

Joseph, C. (2017). Elements of S.M.A.R.T. goal setting . Web.

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1. IvyPanda . "The Smart Goal-Setting Process: Motivation and Empowerment." April 18, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-smart-goal-setting-process/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "The Smart Goal-Setting Process: Motivation and Empowerment." April 18, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-smart-goal-setting-process/.

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Would You Rather Be Born Smart or Rich?

A recent Brookings study suggests that brains and drive have more to do with lifelong success than family wealth. But there's a big catch.

I know, I know, you'd rather be born smart and rich (and charming, and with a lustrous head of hair, and a voice like Michael Bolton's). But if you had to choose? Chances are, your answer depends on whether you think the U.S. economy is a meritocracy—that intelligence and ambition are more important to lifelong success than the circumstances of your birth.

A recent Brookings paper  gives reasons for optimism. Over the long term, it finds, smart kids earn more than rich kids. But sadly, there's a big catch.

The Brookings paper looked at the relationship between brains, motivation, and economic mobility among a group of youth the government began tracking in 1979 . Here's the executive summary: If they were bright and driven, poor kids stood a decent chance of becoming upper-middle-class, or better. Of low-income teens who scored in the top third of test-takers on the Armed Forces Qualification Test (on the far left in green), more than 40 percent made it to the top two income quintiles by adulthood. Meanwhile, dimwitted children of affluence generally fell down the economic ladder. Among high-income teens who scored in the bottom third of AFQT takers (on the far right in orange), more than half ended up in the bottom two income quintiles.

Brains weren't everything, of course. As the researchers put it, "in terms of mobility, it’s better to be smart, motivated, and rich, than smart, motivated, and poor." And, as the authors note, there also seemed to be a "glass floor" that kept a great many wealthy kids with "mediocre skills" from sliding into (relative) poverty.

Nonetheless, for the teens and young adults of the late 1970s, the economy seems to have been, in at least some meaningful sense, a meritocracy.

Now about that catch. The unfortunate truth is that, more often than not, the rich kids  are  the smart kids. For many years now, the single biggest gap in American education has been between the well-to-do and the poor. Thanks to the resources their families can pour into parenting, wealthy students start out academically ahead the day they walk into kindergarden, and stay ahead through their high school graduation day.

How huge is the class divide in our classrooms? The next  Brookings g raph should give you a sense. It shows how pre-school, middle-school, and high-school-aged children fare on cognitive exams, such as the AFQT, depending on their family income. The trend should be pretty clear at a glance: Richer kids score higher. By their late teens, six out of every ten children from the wealthiest slice of families place among the top third of test takers; six in ten children from the poorest slice of families place among the bottom third. They're mirror images of wealth and acumen.

This is one key reason why the United States has  such a dearth  of economic mobility overall, even if our economy is nominally meritocratic. There simply aren't very many poor children with the skills to fight their way to the top. And it's why people like Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke have begun to question the idea that meritocracy  is, by its nature, fair. How fair can a system really be, after all, if it's tilted so far in favor of those lucky enough to be born wealthy?

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Street Smarts Vs. Academic Intelligence. Essay

The difference between smart and intelligent, “any fool can know. the point is to understand.” – albert einstein..

When it comes to intelligence, it can be divided into two broad categories. One of them is academic intelligence, while the other kind is the street smarts. Academic intelligence refers to education, training, classes, and so on. This is an exclusively theoretical understanding of facts or ideas. People do not possess knowledge from birth, but they collect it during their lifetime. Whether a person is more skilled in street smarts or academic intelligence depends on the conditions in which he or she has grown up. Academic smarts and street smarts have many similarities and differences. Street smarts help people survive while academic intelligence results in good grades.  These two are definitely necessary, and they are interchangeable in real life.

Concerning analytically intelligent (or book smart) people, their intelligence is employed to judge, analyze, and evaluate information. Book smart is merely an intelligent and well-educated person who performs well academically. However, such a person manages situations (especially severe or stressful ones) from an intellectual position, utilizing facts, information obtained mainly from books. In other words, it is a traditional school type of learning when a teacher shares information and students learn it and follow all the rules. Academically intelligent people excel in classes, exams, and know all the theories no matter whether they are valuable or useless in life. They believe that value lies in possessing information and reading books so they like everything that has the right answers.

In practice, academically intelligent people are pretty good at repeating particular information, but when they have to answer questions about real-world issues they cannot think of anything to say. However, personal opinion is appreciated more than a simple retelling of impractical facts. All people can be academically intelligent in school, college, or university but this does not mean that a person with a degree will possess common sense. Constant reliance on theoretical knowledge can lead to disastrous consequences. The ability to do math can help one pass the test, but this ability becomes unnecessary when it comes to the point when a person needs to get out of a dangerous situation. It is a myth that people need to succeed in school to earn a considerable amount of money. Neither Steve Jobs nor Mark Zuckerberg studied in college, and yet they became billionaires.

Concerning practical intelligence (or street smart), it is learning through experience from real life. A person learns everything from his or her personal experience, and this cannot be taught during classes. Regarding advantages, being street smart means that a person with this intelligence type can read people and knows when someone intends to take advantage of him or her. Moreover, street smarts know how to interact with different types of people in particular with unsavory characters. They know how to reduce tension and stressful atmosphere in a lousy situation.

Many people who never went to college started numerous thriving corporations. Some examples of such influential personalities are Steve Jobs and Bill Gates who quit college and became very prosperous in their careers. Their success came from a personal ambition rather than from knowledge obtained at college. The street smarts will never rely on books to teach them how problems are handled and how things work. They are strongly prejudiced and have more practical knowledge of how to act in a particular situation. They are independent and do not always look for assistance from others. Frequently they have their own approach. They can go to a remote area without Google tools and arrive at the destination place in time; they can tell a person’s character only by handshaking and keep their facial expression motionless when going past beggars. 

Street smart people rely more on intuition to plan their next steps. According to them, their life experience is their primary source of knowledge. They never attach themselves to what is written in the book.

The main difference between these two groups is in the sources of their knowledge. Book smart people receive their knowledge from theories and books, and street smart people obtain it from their own experience. Unfortunately, those who are academically inclined often lack strategy, genuine affection, and appeal.

Smart vs Intelligent

Overall, it would be a mistake to claim that book smarts or street smarts are not good. Both types of intelligence are equally significant and complementary to one another. Street smarts deal well with real-life situations while academic intelligence is essential at least for acquiring a job and breadth of knowledge.  It i s best to cultivate these both types.

Anton Kurapov

PhD, a professor assistant at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Fascinated by the role of psychology in lives of people and simply astonished by the complexity of the brain and its functions.

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Why It's Better to be Nice than Smart

Published february 8, 2012 • updated on february 9, 2012 at 12:31 am.

Smart is overrated. Maybe I'm biased because I'm bit of a dummy, but I've always felt that having a big heart will get you further in life than having a big brain.

Sure, a high IQ is important if you're planning a career in astrophysics or working in a secret government lab, building a killer, burrito-eating, ninja-shark robot. (Side note: Dear government, and I know you're reading this, if this job exists, please let me where I can apply.)

But for most other careers, entrepreneurship included, being smart isn't what's going to make you good at what you do. Kindness, compassion, authenticity, humor and generosity -- these are the qualities that matter.

Yes, of course you need to have a certain level of intelligence to be successful. But there are diminishing returns on IQ. And after you hit a certain threshold, additional IQ points don't help you one iota. (Hat tip to Malcolm Gladwell).

Because, well, no one gives a flip if you got your MBA from Harvard or you got a perfect score on your SAT. Ultimately, the people you work with only want to know two things: Can I rely on this person to do what she says she's going to do; and would she be a fun person to have a beer with?

In fact, being really smart is often a huge obstacle in the path to success. If you're Mr. Harvard MBA then your natural inclination is to try to win by outsmarting everyone else. But outsmarting everyone else is an impossible battle to win. No matter how hard you try, you're never going to be the smartest person in the world. Heck, you're probably not even the smartest person reading this blog post right now. So, no matter how smart you think you are, there's someone smarter out there who is going to beat you at your own game.

Simply put, smart is a losing proposition .

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Once you come to the realization that you can't out-Amazon Amazon, it's time to change the rules of the game. Brad Feld recently wrote an excellent blog post on resegmenting your business . He said, if you're not the market leader or at least in the top three for your category, then it's time to create a new category and become No. 1 in the new category. The same principle can be applied on the personal level. Are you the smartest person in the world? Are you in the top three? No. Okay, then instead of trying to be the market leader of smart, resegment yourself and become the market leader of nice.

Because, while it's damn near impossible to make yourself the smartest person in the world, there is absolutely nothing stopping you from becoming the No. 1 absolute nicest person in the world. So give it a shot, and see what happens. If you do, I promise you'll be amazed at how many more people want to have a beer with you.

Ethan Austin is the Co-founder of GiveForward , an Excelerate Labs company. He also writes a blog called Startups and Burritos . It is awesome. You should read it.

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Aiming for college? Being smart is valued. Being decent is impressive.

As an ambitious high school student, Becky Munsterer Sabky kept lacing up her soccer cleats long after the game lost its appeal because she thought it would enhance her college chances. She checked off the requisite boxes for admission to an elite campus — top grades, National Honor Society president, Junior Olympic alpine skier.

Yet, Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, her dream Ivy League school, rejected her, as did her second, third and fourth choices. Sabky enrolled in her fifth choice, Maine’s Colby College , which ended up preparing her well for the 16 years she worked in admissions at Dartmouth and her subsequent career as a writer.

Now living with her husband and two toddlers in Vermont, Sabky distilled her experiences as both the gatekeeper to a sought-after Ivy league campus and an applicant turned down by the school in a new book, “Valedictorians at the Gate: Standing Out, Getting In, and Staying Sane While Applying to College.” The book comes out Tuesday.

Credit: Shawn Leamon

In a telephone interview from her home, Sabky talked about the two chief goals of her book. First, she wants students who apply to schools like Dartmouth, which admit 10% or fewer of their applicants, to understand the process. “College admissions is a business,” she says. And the business model is based on what’s best for the college, not the applicant. That means selecting students on the overall strengths, needs and statistics of their own existing applicant pool, she says.

“A college is not choosing Joe over you because he is more worthy, a better student or a better kid. There is something in his application that makes sense for the class,” she says.

Her second purpose and one to which she returns many times in her book: “What we want most of our kids, what matters to us most in raising our kids, is character.”

Sabky decided to write a book after a 2017 essay she wrote on an applicant who submitted a recommendation from the school custodian went viral. The custodian noted the young man was the only one who knew the names of every member of the janitorial staff, thanked them regularly for their labor and turned off lights in empty rooms. The student showed respect for every person at the school, regardless of position, said the custodian.

In reviewing 30,000 college applications, Sabky says she’d never before received a letter from a school custodian. She’s not suggesting students now rush out to befriend all the custodians and cafeteria servers in their school, but she is saying applicants ought to understand that while being smart is valued, being decent is impressive.

Too often, Sabky says, applicants spend too much time telling admissions offices what they’ve done, which is easily seen on applications, rather than who they are or their place in their community. Georgia Tech will know you attended Georgia Governor’s Honors Program or Duke TIP. They may not know you are the only person under 40 in your neighborhood who shows up for the annual holiday cookie exchange or that your internship at the aquarium taught you the most common question is where are the bathrooms.

Sabky says applicants ought to use the personal essay — where colleges can hear their authentic voice — to talk about what excites them, what moves them, what changed them. “There is no such thing as the great American college essay that is going to get you into college, but it is the one thing in the student’s control,” she says.

She advises, “Don’t write an essay about your grandmother, your soccer coach, or Hermione Granger. The ‘My Grandmother Is My Hero’ essay makes an admissions officer want to admit the applicant’s grandmother. Same goes for the essay about the soccer coach. And Hermione had her moment.“ The better topics, she says, would be “The Summer I Taught Grandma How to Use Chopsticks” or “The Art of Refereeing Toddler Soccer.”

In her own college essay, Sabky wrote about offshore fishing with her family and helping Cuban refugees who were in the water in inner tubes. The admissions office learned a lot about the heroic Cubans, but little about her, she says.

Thinking back on it now, Sabky says, “I loved letter writing. I wrote letters to people I had never met. I wrote letters to boy bands, to new people on the street. I loved being a writer even back then. I should have written an essay about how much I loved letter writing and how I learned about it on my own.”

She also urges students not to brush off the short answer question with a slapdash two lines, saying, “Give us as many angles to your holistic self as possible. There are many pieces to a college application, and you want as many pieces as possible to enhance the picture.” Use the opportunity to share specific details about your personality and character.

But be careful about careless revelations. Sabky was once faced with an applicant with many positives, including a heartfelt personal statement and strong recommendations. Yet his email address was “ibrakeforhotmoms.”

She realized he may have created that email back in middle school, but says, “The student’s email address was speaking to his character. And the fact that he, as a 17-year-old high school senior, sat down and typed this email address into his college application made me question his choices.” The applicant would not be braking for hot moms in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Sabky says most admissions offices lack the time to scour students’ social media but reserve the right to do so. As a result, she says, “I very much want students to clean up all that social media.”

In the end, chance contributes to who gets admitted to selective colleges, which campuses might need the geographic diversity of a student from South Georgia or North Dakota or someone who plays the tuba or shortstop. As happened to Sabky, many teens will not get into their dream school, but find success in their fifth choice, moving through the open gate rather than weeping outside the closed one.

“College admissions is not a prize,” says Sabky. “It is a steppingstone. I am not naive enough to say parents shouldn’t care about educating their children. And Ivy League schools open doors, but Colby College also opened doors. It is what you do with your education. High school is a building block to college, and college is a building block for what is next in your life.”

About the Author

Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.

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How to write SMART goals

It’s easier to succeed when you have clearly defined objectives that are based in reality.

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5-second summary

• Teams often fall short of meeting their goals due to a lack of consensus on the definition of success.
• SMART goals use a specific set of criteria to help ensure that objectives are clearly defined and attainable within a certain timeframe.
• Working through each step of creating a SMART goal can reveal instances where priorities and resources are out of alignment.

Meet Jane. She’s a product manager at a mid-sized tech company – let’s call it Techfirm, Inc. Jane has been tasked with increasing usage of Techfirm’s mobile app.

She knows she’ll need all hands on deck to make this happen, but when Jane has set team-wide goals in the past, they’ve quickly fallen off track. Nobody seemed to have a clear understanding of what success should look like; progress wasn’t monitored closely enough, and inevitably, that important objective slipped to the back burner (before toppling off the stove entirely).

That’s why, this time around, Jane plans to leverage SMART goals for setting an action plan and staying the course.

Want to get started right now?

Use our template to define the different components of your SMART goal.

What are SMART goals?

The SMART in SMART goals stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.

Defining these parameters as they pertain to your goal helps ensure that your objectives are attainable within a certain time frame. This approach eliminates generalities and guesswork, sets a clear timeline, and makes it easier to track progress and identify missed milestones.

An example of a SMART-goal statement might look like this: Our goal is to [quantifiable objective] by [timeframe or deadline]. [Key players or teams] will accomplish this goal by [what steps you’ll take to achieve the goal]. Accomplishing this goal will [result or benefit].

Let’s use Jane’s objective to work through each component.

S: Specific

In order for a goal to be effective, it needs to be specific. A specific goal answers questions like:

• What needs to be accomplished?
• Who’s responsible for it?
• What steps need to be taken to achieve it?

Thinking through these questions helps get to the heart of what you’re aiming for. Here’s an example of a specific goal Jane might come up with:

Grow the number of monthly users of Techfirm’s mobile app by optimizing our app-store listing and creating targeted social media campaigns.

M: Measurable

Don’t underestimate the outsized impact of short-term goals

Specificity is a solid start, but quantifying your goals (that is, making sure they’re measurable) makes it easier to track progress and know when you’ve reached the finish line.

Jane and her product team want to grow the number of their mobile app users – but by how much? If they get even one new signup, that’s technically positive growth – so does that mean they’re done? Same goes for their strategy – how many platforms will they advertise on? 

To make this SMART objective more impactful, Jane should incorporate measurable, trackable benchmarks.

Increase the number of monthly users of Techfirm’s mobile app by 1,000 by optimizing our app-store listing and creating targeted social media campaigns for four social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

A: Achievable

This is the point in the process when you give yourself a serious reality check. Goals should be realistic –  not  pedestals from which you inevitably tumble. Ask yourself: is your objective something your team can reasonably accomplish?

Jane might look at her goal and realize that, given her small team and their heavy workload, creating ad campaigns for four social platforms might be biting off more than they can chew. She decides to scale back to the three social networks where she’s most likely to find new clients.

Increase the number of monthly users of Techfirm’s mobile app by 1,000 by optimizing our app-store listing and creating targeted social media campaigns for three social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Safeguarding the achievability of your goal is much easier when you’re the one setting it. However, that’s not always the case. When goals are handed down from elsewhere, make sure to communicate any restraints you may be working under. Even if you can’t shift the end goal, at least you can make your position (and any potential roadblocks) known up-front.

R: Relevant

Here’s where you need to think about the big picture. Why are you setting the goal that you’re setting? Jane knows that the app is a huge driver of customer loyalty, and that an uptick in their app usage could mean big things for the company’s bottom-line revenue goals. Now she revises her statement to reflect that context.

Grow the number of monthly users of Techfirm’s mobile app by 1,000 by optimizing our app-store listing and creating targeted social media campaigns for three social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Because mobile users tend to use our product longer, growing our app usage will ultimately increase profitability.

T: Time-bound

To properly measure success, you and your team need to be on the same page about when a goal has been reached. What’s your time horizon? When will the team start creating and implementing the tasks they’ve identified? When will they finish?

SMART goals should have time-related parameters built in, so everybody knows how to stay on track within a designated time frame.

When Jane incorporates those dates, her SMART goal is complete.

Grow the number of monthly users of Techfirm’s mobile app by 1,000 within Q1 of 2022. This will be accomplished by optimizing our app-store listing and creating targeted social media campaigns, which will begin running in February 2022, on three social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Since mobile is our primary point of conversion for paid-customer signups, growing our app usage will ultimately increase sales.

Knowing how to set goals using the SMART framework can help you succeed in setting and attaining goals, no matter how large or small.

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A former K-5 public school principal turned author, presenter, and leadership coach, DeWitt provides insights and advice for education leaders. He can be found at www.petermdewitt.com . Read more from this blog .

Is It More Important to Be Popular Than Smart?

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“At fourteen you don’t need sickness or death for tragedy.” Jessamyn West

Peer relationships can be complicated. Students who get along today may not get along tomorrow. Research shows that there is a great deal of storm in stress in adolescence and the smallest of issues can become the biggest of problems. With an increase in social media and texting among kids as young as elementary age, the issues that used to be considered small can be blown out of proportion on the internet.

Hurtful words and arguments seem worse when they are seen in print or through e-mail. Those words are also harder to take back because they can be saved and forwarded to other friends. In a matter of minutes, a simple disagreement can become an all-out war where peers are forced to choose sides when they would really rather walk away.

Students who suffer from low self-esteem have the 21st century skills to try to make themselves feel better or worse. They can find ways to improve their self-esteem through positive experiences on the internet such as researching projects, or finding creative games to play. The internet offers an escape for some students who are growing up in a house or town that does not allow them to be who they are, and they can find inspiration to keep moving forward.

On the other hand, that escape on the internet can be dangerous as well. There are many sites that are much too adult and inappropriate for students. A computer without parent safety measures offers a perfect storm for students who are looking for trouble.

In these days of quick fixes and the noise that comes with 24/7 entertainment, kids are being exposed to too many negative role models and bad behavior. They are not at an age where they can process much of the information that is coming at them because they lack the maturity and life experience which allows them to do so.

Entertainment News “What the mass media offers is not popular art, but entertainment which is intended to be consumed like food, forgotten, and replaced by a new dish.” W. H. Auden

As we turn on the television or the radio we are exposed to entertainment shows that report on a celebrity’s every move. Who went to lunch with whom? Who was caught at night with someone else? Private lives are exposed, which many celebrities may enjoy, and kids are watching all of this behavior play out before their very eyes. They think the behavior they see on television is what is important. Bad behavior is exposed on all the entertainment shows and some kids without the right support at home believe the only way they will get noticed is through emulating that bad behavior.

Many programs, commercials and shows that children are exposed to have changed since the 80’s and 90’s. Things that used to be Rated R would be considered PG in today’s market. In an effort to be less prudish the television networks have now advanced to a place that exposes kids to too much. Graphic violence, sexual content, and explicit language are some of the things viewers can see anytime that they turn on the television.

Why is it ok for students to be exposed to all of these things? Does all of this have an effect on their behavior? How does this affect their academic achievement? No matter how innovative schools can be can they compete with the fluff that they see on television? Are we loving in an age where it is more important to be popular than smart?

Being Popular There seems to be an overwhelming amount of students who would prefer to be popular than smart. In fact, I would venture to guess that there are parents who would rather have popular children that have many friends. Parents form cliques as much as children do and it starts at a very early age. All parents want their children to fit in with peers but some take it to an extreme.

Many students randomly accept “friends” they do not know on Facebook in order to boost the number of friends that show up on their Facebook page. The same can be done on Twitter accounts. Not only can adolescents collect followers but they can find their favorite celebrity or reality star on there as well. There are some celebrities, and definitely some reality stars who post comments that are not appropriate for the kids who are following them. It’s not to blame the celebrity personality, but many parents cannot keep up with the technology that their kids are using.

All of this creates the perfect storm for children because they feel intense pressure to be invited to every birthday party, movie outing and sleepover. Instead of finding a few good friends, there are children who collect numerous friends who may never be able to meet their needs.

During these days of quick fixes, having friends and media that provides way too much information, it’s more important than ever for parents and schools to work together to give kids a proper foundation. They need to learn what is mere entertainment, as pathetic as some of it is, and what is valuable for them to take into their future.

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The opinions expressed in Peter DeWitt’s Finding Common Ground are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

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The Secret to Being Smart Is in the Za’atar

Books & Culture

Perla kantarjian considers the immutable function of foodstuffs as poetic vehicles for home, identity, and belonging.

When I was to leave Beirut to study in Norwich, I distinctly remember the depth of concern in my mother’s words: Վստա՞հ 3 տոպրակ զաաթարը բաւարար է ամբողջ մէկ տարուայ համար? You sure 3 packs of za’atar are enough for a whole year? I also distinctly remember not knowing how to respond to the various nuances within that multifaceted question. It’s England, mom, I eventually said. It’s ripe with Arabs. Այո, այո. There’s bound to be za’atar somewhere. 

Little did I know that on the second day of moving in, the mobilization of the za’atar forces was to already begin—the mothers of my Palestinian and Jordanian housemates, too, had made sure their za’atar fixes were on board. 

With various strains of the Levantine staple, we commenced what turned to be a social rite: olive oil drizzled into our different versions of the earthly blend of dried thyme, sesame, salt, cumin, and sumac, made into an ancestral paste which is then slathered onto wholemeal £3 toasts from Tesco. Our own version of a manakish za’atar tokenizing our unity in a foreign land. For a few seconds, we almost forgot we ever even left the Levant. The next day, I couldn’t help but render the whole thing into a poem. I titled it, plain and clear, “Levantine.”

The secret to being smart is in the za’atar, as all our mothers and teachers used to reiterate to our school-kid selves.

Such poetic inspiration however is not always around. In the heat of the semester, the cold and ghastly bodies of deadlines do especially tend to water down the gusto. When video calling mom, the cure to the agitation is constantly represcribed— you need to eat more za’atar . I need to eat more za’atar.

Of course, I need to eat more za’atar! How could I forget such a vital piece of intel? The secret to being smart is in the za’atar, as all our mothers and teachers used to reiterate to our school-kid selves. Za’atar for breakfast, za’atar in our lunch bags, the olive oil always finding a way to stain something of us during recess. Oral quiz today? Two sandwiches then. Big exam? Make that three. The brain buds have got to be activated in full. 

I remember this all as I am painstakingly and religiously munching on the concoction while trying to stimulate my head—there is a critical essay on poetics due soon. 

It takes one poem to put the whole picture into place (doesn’t it always?). This time, it is Arab-American poet Danielle Badra’s “ The Eight Station ,” in which she writes: “Grandmother mourned the loss of Lebanon and innocence the smell of thyme and sesame slow roasting in the oven.” I stop there. 

The technique to the refinement of the za’atar dough is intimate and surpasses the discourses around mere yeast and sugar.

Mourn. Loss. Thyme. The words splash against me like a cataract. In their distinct standings, there is an invisible connective thread. Is homesickness itself not an act of mourning? I begin digging other poems from the pens of the Levant diaspora.  I begin digging specifically for za’atar– the responsibility it is given, the role it plays. 

Levant. We say it with a schwa guided by its French origins— Lever, meaning “to rise,” refers to the point where the sun rises along the eastern Mediterranean shores that form the Levant. Contrary to its “elevating” connotation, the Levant, composed of the states of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Jordan, and adjacent areas, has long been drained by conflict and war. With most of its countries subject to threatening intrusions and unrelenting instability, displacement and exile have culminated in Levantine diasporas all over, its members clutching onto every native vessel that substantiates their sidelined nostalgias: the black seed (حَبّةُ البَرَكَة), the pomegranate molasses (دِبْس الرّمّان), the myrrh (المِرّ), the wild thyme (الزَّعْتَر البَرِّيّ), the, the, the. 

I begin to trace the physicality and presentation of said nostalgias in the writings of Anglophone Levantine diaspora poets, particularly in their infatuation with this herb, this thyme, this زَعْتَر, for the ubiquitous memory and presence of it culminates into a metonym for clinging to identity, as well as homesickness, and for quite a sensible reason. 

Among all the dismal sightings and sensory reactions to post-war Beirut, the spatiotemporal and structural situation of the za’atar within the poem is quite symbolic.

With Origanum syriacum being its scientific name, za’atar is also known by a few others, such as Lebanese oregano and Bible hyssop. Native to the Middle East, the species’ common name of za’atar is also synonymous with the traditional Middle Eastern condiment of the same name, the ingredients combination of which I have mentioned above. In past decades, homemakers of the region would forage wild thyme from the fields to especially concoct the za’atar mix for the manakish, from the root Arabic verb “ naqasha ” meaning “to sculpt, carve out,” with the mix being caressed over flat dough whose base is first punched with indentations to stop the puffing process. 

The technique to the refinement of the za’atar dough is intimate and surpasses the discourses around mere yeast and sugar. In her poem “Eating the Earth,” Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, who is a poet, essayist, and translator with a Palestinian, Jordanian, and Syrian heritage,  takes its recipe and hand-stretches it into a poem: 

And in the kneading hinge forward, let the weight of what you carry on your shoulders, the luster of your language, shade of your story press into the dough. 

Writing in the second person, the message she weaves may be well resonant among readers of similar backgrounds, who, forced to exile and dislocate to seek security and stable futures, depend on traditional foodstuffs as messengers of home. The word that undercurrents her lines is “possessed”– for Khalaf Tuffaha’s narrative is indeed possessed with a yearning and ache that saturate her every choice of poetic device: 

And on the dough let the green leaves fall, drenched sumac stars flickering among them shards of onion in their midst. Scatter them as the wind would or gather them in the center of this earth and fold them into the tender embrace of the dough, cool and soft beneath their bodies

Here, with the falling of the “green [za’atar] leaves” and the flickering of the “sumac stars,” Khalaf Tuffaha feeds a theme of freedom while pacing her painted image with slowness that contrasts the turbulent life circumstances of the Levantine countries, a backstory to the poem’s tide. The act of sprinkling dried herbs onto dough becomes an expression of care, with the “bodies” of the herbs folded into the “tender embrace of the dough.” Khalaf Tuffaha’s stylistic decision is not mere experimental but an organically purposeful depiction of cultural nostalgia as well as activism through the culinary vessel of the manakish za’atar. In the quoted lines, the speaker not only guides the reader into the preparation steps of the traditional food, but invites them to converse with the emblematic shadow of each factoring ingredient in the process, to knead their indigenous identity, along with all the struggles, into the very fibers of the dough. This herb has a bodily composition that shares the same earthen essence as the distant motherland, she says. Allow it to transport you.

In an interview with The Massachusetts Review , Khalaf Tuffaha was asked whether there is a city or place, real or imagined, that influences her writing, to which she responded:

Yes, absolutely. Places I belong to for having lived there or visited, especially places where my family is rooted. My father’s Jerusalem, the Amman of my childhood, the Damascus of my grandmother’s stories and cuisine and accent. In early childhood, we lived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, then a small and picturesque city on the Red Sea coast (…). Almost every weekend, my family would pack a thermos of tea with mint, pick up fresh baked  mana’eesh–za’atar bread–and head to the beach. My mind is a conch shell, the sound of the waves eternally crashing against that coastline, the fragrance of mint tea and za’atar always present.

And I, readers, I see this all in her poem. The same sentiment of Levantine longing has borne Palestinian-American Noor Hindi’s poem “ORIGINS AND SHATTERED CONCRETE,” published on Foundry . Hindi’s writings visit the lands of Palestine, Jordan, and the United States, having immigrated to the latter at a very young age. This particular poem is heavy on a nostalgia specific to the speaker’s life in Jordan while now an American citizen: 

despite being a temporary visitor, with fingers clutching suitcases, toes steeped in American soil, someone always reminds you of that makeshift hospital on Queen Rania Street where you were born.

The speaker’s longing surfaces through the vessels of reminiscent imagery, with the za’atar overtaking the gustatory, acting as an almost-sacred symbol. Similar to Khalaf Tuffaha’s poem, Hindi’s, too, is written in the second person, with her own self being the only audience: “your name, noor ― as in light ― / spoken with a rolled r, spoken / like it should be.” This particular stylistic choice of distancing the “I” from the narrative and looking inwards instigates a sense of otherness, a division from the self, as though Hindi is observing herself through the eyes of another, quite possibly through the eyes of the people of the land she has immigrated to, where she still may very well be taken aback by the sense of otherness. Yet, this sense of otherness, as Hindi depicts, is only on “some days,” and her decision to incorporate the “some days” idea twice throughout the poem may be to establish a realization that she has already merged into the canvas of the American life, and it is only on “some days” that the yearning comes upon her. Still, it does: “some days you miss / the dusty, littered streets / of your home…/” and “some / days you want to drown / in your grandmother’s black / abaya.” She then flashbacks into a heavy memory, whilst physically yet in the Mediterranean lands: “love resides in arms / so you learned how to / walk that shattered concrete.”  By placing “arms” as a double entendre: on the surface, the plural of “arm” in relation to an embrace, on the deeper level, weaponry, Hindi provides the reasoning behind her learning to walk on shattered concrete in the first place: because there, quite simply, is where she found (finds?) love, albeit its violent structure. Similar to learning how to walk through the shatters, Hindi also “learned” to:

smoke smooth mint hookah, dip pita bread into zaat then zaatar, lay on rooftop patios, haggle in crowded bazaars, speak Arabic

Here, towards the end of the poem, Hindi reveals the culinary undercurrent that corporealizes her Arabian yearning in an almost ritualistic manner: the pita bread dipped into olive oil and then za’atar. In “American Beings,” another 14-part prose poem , published in The Adroit Journal a few years after the “ORIGINS AND SHATTERED CONCRETE” poem’s appearance, Hindi writes: “The breakfast table is my family’s connection to Palestine, to home, to Jordan. In this way, eating is sacred — and dipping pita bread into olive oil is an act of love.”  When connecting this statement to Hindi’s former idea of “love residing in arms,” we can understand that she has now, in the shelter of her American household, away from the “shattered concrete” of the Middle East, found a way to experience a fiber of that distant, overseas love: upon the altar of the breakfast table, through the gesture of dipping the pita bread into olive oil and za’atar, an act that carries Palestine and Jordan, and her Levantine roots, to her.

Hindi reveals the culinary undercurrent that corporealizes her Arabian yearning in an almost ritualistic manner.

This herb is so much more than taste and tradition. Now, I’ll be incorporating a different speaker-food substance frame into the long-standing tradition of consuming za’atar, one where the consumer is placed in a secondary positioning to the food, with the only relation being palatal, nonetheless significant, through a poem by Hedy Sabbagh Habra. 

Sabbagh Habra is a poet, artist, and essayist of Lebanese origin. She was born and raised in Egypt, but has lived in both the former and the latter before moving to Belgium and then settling in the United States. Her family left Lebanon at the onset of the civil war, as she stated in an interview with KNOT Magazine . In her prose poem, “After Twenty Five Years,” the speaker, who visits Beirut twenty-five years after instability forced them to leave, laments the loss of a Beirut they once knew. In the aforementioned interview, Sabbagh Habra noted that the poetry collection The Taste of the Earth , in which the poem appears, weaves together “personal memories” with the “larger history” of her countries of origin. To that effect, she “resorted to recollections revolving around the senses.” Fittingly, given the poet’s attribution of “memoire” to the collection, the poem is written in first person: “I came to Beirut to retrace my steps but its warmth enveloped me in its ample mantle through streets I didn’t recognize.” Throughout the poem, a bleak mood overrides the lines, with images like: “mandalun windows…disfigured by open wounds,” “a jogger…steeped in lost footsteps,” “the water seems darker,” and “the sea’s mist suffused with bitterness.” Among all the dismal sightings and sensory reactions to post-war Beirut, the spatiotemporal and structural situation of the za’atar within the poem is quite symbolic. Composed of three stanzas, the poem has 11 lines. At the central division of that number is line 5.5, which synchronically is the line that captures the warmth of the za’atar trope:  “Only the vendor of crisp sesame breads makes me feel at home; with a smile, he fills my kaak with fragrant zaatar. ” Gastrocritically, through this central emplacement, the speaker not only translates a narrative message but also predicates the power of za’atar to as one at the heart of the evocation of feelings of home. By dismantling the word choice of the adverb “only” at the inception of this significant line, the reader is zoomed into the responsibility placed upon the za’atar, for amid all the sense of detachment that the returned expatriate experiences, it is only the za’atar kaak , and by association the vendor, that rekindle the speaker’s feeling of belonging. 

Food serves to mark what separates or unites a community, and how an individual perceives themselves in a certain locale.

Food serves to mark what separates or unites a community, and how an individual perceives themselves in a certain locale. For many of the displaced peoples of the Levant landscapes who have long taken off in all directions, the root connection is through a mere transported product of its fragment of earth, and their transoceanic poetry reveals the attempt at homeland mimesis through infusing metonyms into said product. 

It’s no surprise that literature has been recognized as a valuable repository for ethnography. Writers have long been tapping into the multi-layered meanings in foodstuffs that surface socio-cultural stories, and in the literature of the Levantine diaspora, I find a culinary ripeness seeping such Mediterranean memories I had forgotten to unfold from my suitcase. 

It is 8:16 AM UTC when I decide to end this attempt at essay. 10:16 in Beirut. I video call mom to wish her a lovely day. In the screen there is her and dad on the balcony, smiling and showing me the breakfast spread of fresh manakish za’atar, labneh , olives, and mint leaves. Yalla , mom says, we’re waiting for you to start eating. Կը սպասենք։ 

We’re waiting.

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Climate-smart agriculture: adoption, impacts, and implications for sustainable development

• Original Article
• Open access
• Published: 29 April 2024
• Volume 29 , article number  44 , ( 2024 )

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• Wanglin Ma   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-7847-8459 1 &
• Dil Bahadur Rahut   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7505-5271 2  

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The 19 papers included in this special issue examined the factors influencing the adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices among smallholder farmers and estimated the impacts of CSA adoption on farm production, income, and well-being. Key findings from this special issue include: (1) the variables, including age, gender, education, risk perception and preferences, access to credit, farm size, production conditions, off-farm income, and labour allocation, have a mixed (either positive or negative) influence on the adoption of CSA practices; (2) the variables, including labour endowment, land tenure security, access to extension services, agricultural training, membership in farmers’ organizations, support from non-governmental organizations, climate conditions, and access to information consistently have a positive impact on CSA adoption; (3) diverse forms of capital (physical, social, human, financial, natural, and institutional), social responsibility awareness, and digital advisory services can effectively promote CSA adoption; (4) the establishment of climate-smart villages and civil-society organizations enhances CSA adoption by improving their access to credit; (5) CSA adoption contributes to improved farm resilience to climate change and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions; (6) CSA adoption leads to higher crop yields, increased farm income, and greater economic diversification; (7) integrating CSA technologies into traditional agricultural practices not only boosts economic viability but also contributes to environmental sustainability and health benefits; and (8) there is a critical need for international collaboration in transferring technology for CSA. Overall, the findings of this special issue highlight that through targeted interventions and collaborative efforts, CSA can play a pivotal role in achieving food security, poverty alleviation, and climate resilience in farming communities worldwide and contribute to the achievements of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

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1 Introduction

Climate change reduces agricultural productivity and leads to greater instability in crop production, disrupting the global food supply and resulting in food and nutritional insecurity. In particular, climate change adversely affects food production through water shortages, pest outbreaks, and soil degradation, leading to significant crop yield losses and posing significant challenges to global food security (Kang et al. 2009 ; Läderach et al. 2017 ; Arora 2019 ; Zizinga et al. 2022 ; Mirón et al. 2023 ). United Nations reported that the human population will reach 9.7 billion by 2050. In response, food-calorie production will have to expand by 70% to meet the food demand of the growing population (United Nations 2021 ). Hence, it is imperative to advocate for robust mitigation strategies that counteract the negative impacts of climate change and enhance the flexibility and speed of response in smallholder farming systems.

A transformation of the agricultural sector towards climate-resilient practices can help tackle food security and climate change challenges successfully. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is an approach that guides farmers’ actions to transform agrifood systems towards building the agricultural sector’s resilience to climate change based on three pillars: increasing farm productivity and incomes, enhancing the resilience of livelihoods and ecosystems, and reducing and removing greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere (FAO 2013 ). Promoting the adoption of CSA practices is crucial to improve smallholder farmers’ capacity to adapt to climate change, mitigate its impact, and help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Realizing the benefits of adopting CSA, governments in different countries and international organizations such as the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have made great efforts to scale up and out the CSA. For example, climate-smart villages in India (Alam and Sikka 2019 ; Hariharan et al. 2020 ) and civil society organizations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America (Waters-Bayer et al. 2015 ; Brown 2016 ) have been developed to reduce information costs and barriers and bridge the gap in finance access to promote farmers’ adoption of sustainable agricultural practices, including CSA. Besides, agricultural training programs have been used to enhance farmers’ knowledge of CSA and their adoption of the technology in Ghana (Zakaria et al. 2020 ; Martey et al. 2021 ).

As a result, smallholder farmers worldwide have adopted various CSA practices and technologies (e.g., integrated crop systems, drop diversification, inter-cropping, improved pest, water, and nutrient management, improved grassland management, reduced tillage and use of diverse varieties and breeds, restoring degraded lands, and improved the efficiency of input use) to reach the objectives of CSA (Kpadonou et al. 2017 ; Zakaria et al. 2020 ; Khatri-Chhetri et al. 2020 ; Aryal et al. 2020a ; Waaswa et al. 2022 ; Vatsa et al. 2023 ). In the Indian context, technologies such as laser land levelling and the happy seeder have been promoted widely for their potential in climate change adaptation and mitigation, offering benefits in terms of farm profitability, emission reduction, and water and land productivity (Aryal et al. 2020b ; Keil et al. 2021 ). In some African countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, climate-smart feeding practices in the livestock sector have been suggested to tackle challenges in feed quality and availability exacerbated by climate change, aiming to improve livestock productivity and resilience (García de Jalón et al. 2017 ; Shikuku et al. 2017 ; Radeny et al. 2022 ).

Several studies have investigated the factors influencing farmers’ decisions to adopt CSA practices. They have focused on, for example, farmers’ characteristics (e.g., age, gender, and education), farm-level characteristics (e.g., farm size, land fertility, and land tenure security), socioeconomic factors (e.g., economic conditions), institutional factors (e.g., development programs, membership in farmers’ organizations, and access to agricultural training), climate conditions, and access to information (Aryal et al. 2018 ; Tran et al. 2020 ; Zakaria et al. 2020 ; Kangogo et al. 2021 ; Diro et al. 2022 ; Kifle et al. 2022 ; Belay et al. 2023 ; Zhou et al. 2023 ). For example, Aryal et al. ( 2018 ) found that household characteristics (e.g., general caste, education, and migration status), plot characteristics (e.g., tenure of plot, plot size, and soil fertility), distance to market, and major climate risks are major factors determining farmers’ adoption of multiple CSA practices in India. Tran et al. ( 2020 ) reported that age, gender, number of family workers, climate-related factors, farm characteristics, distance to markets, access to climate information, confidence in the know-how of extension workers, membership in social/agricultural groups, and attitude toward risk are the major factors affecting rice farmers’ decisions to adopt CSA technologies in Vietnam. Diro et al.’s ( 2022 ) analysis revealed that coffee growers’ decisions to adopt CSA practices are determined by their education, extension (access to extension services and participation on field days), and ownership of communication devices, specifically radio in Ethiopia. Zhou et al. 2023 ) found that cooperative membership significantly increases the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices among banana-producing farmers in China. These studies provide significant insights regarding the factors influencing farmers’ decisions regarding CSA adoption.

A growing body of studies have also estimated the effects of CSA adoption. They have found that CSA practices enhance food security and dietary diversity by increasing crop yields and rural incomes (Amadu et al. 2020 ; Akter et al. 2022 ; Santalucia 2023 ; Tabe-Ojong et al. 2023 ; Vatsa et al. 2023 ; Omotoso and Omotayo 2024 ). For example, Akter et al. ( 2022 ) found that adoption of CSA practices was positively associated with rice, wheat, and maize yields and household income, contributing to household food security in Bangladesh. By estimating data from rice farmers in China, Vatsa et al. ( 2023 ) reported that intensifying the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices improved rice yield by 94 kg/mu and contributed to food security. Santalucia ( 2023 ) and Omotoso and Omotayo ( 2024 ) found that adoption of CSA practices (improved maize varieties and maize-legume intercropping) increases household dietary diversity and food security among smallholders in Tanzania and Nigeria, respectively.

Agriculture is crucial in climate change, accounting for roughly 20% of worldwide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Additionally, it is responsible for approximately 45% of the global emissions of methane, a potent gas that significantly contributes to heat absorption in the atmosphere. CSA adoption improves farm resilience to climate variability (e.g., Makate et al. 2019 ; Jamil et al. 2021 ) and mitigates greenhouse gas emissions (Israel et al. 2020 ; McNunn et al. 2020 ). For example, Makate et al. ( 2019 ) for southern Africa and Jamil et al. ( 2021 ) for Pakistan found that promoting CSA innovations is crucial for boosting farmers’ resilience to climate change. McNunn et al. ( 2020 ) reported that CSA adoption significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture by increasing soil organic carbon stocks and decreasing nitrous oxide emissions.

Although a growing number of studies have enriched our understanding of the determinants and impacts of ICT adoption, it should be emphasized that no one-size-fits-all approach exists for CSA technology adoption due to geographical and environmental variability. The definitions of CSA should also be advanced to better adapt to changing climate and regional production conditions. Clearly, despite the extensive research on CSA, several gaps remain. First, there is a lack of comprehensive studies that consolidate findings across different geographical regions to inform policymaking effectively. The calls for studies on literature review and meta-analysis to synthesize the findings of the existing studies to make our understanding generalized. Second, although the literature on determinants of CSA adoption is becoming rich, there is a lack of understanding of how CSA adoption is influenced by different forms of capital, social responsibility awareness of farmers’ cultivating family farms, and digital advisory services. Third, there is a lack of understanding of how climate-smart villages and civil society organizations address farmers’ financial constraints and encourage them to adopt modern sustainable agricultural practices, including CSA practices. Fourth, very few studies have explored how CSA adoption influences the benefit–cost ratio of farm production, factor demand, and input substitution. Fifth, no previous studies have reported the progress of research on CSA. Addressing these gaps is crucial for designing and implementing effective policies and programs that support the widespread adoption of CSA practices, thereby contributing to sustainable agricultural development and climate resilience.

We address the research gaps mentioned above and extend the findings in previous studies by organizing a Special Issue on “Climate-Smart Agriculture: Adoption, Impacts, and Implications for Sustainable Development” in the Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change (MASGC) journal. We aim to collect high-quality theoretical and applied research papers discussing CSA and seek to comprehensively understand the associations between CSA and sustainable rural and agricultural development. To achieve this goal, we aim to find answers to these questions: What are the CSA practices and technologies (either single or multiple) that are currently adopted in smallholder farming systems? What are the key barriers, challenges, and drivers of promoting CSA practices? What are the impacts of adopting these practices? Answers to these questions will help devise appropriate solutions for promoting sustainable agricultural production and rural development. They will also provide insights for policymakers to design appropriate policy instruments to develop agricultural practices and technologies and promote them to sustainably enhance the farm sector’s resilience to climate change and increase productivity.

Finally, 19 papers were selected after a rigorous peer-review process and published in this special issue. We collected 10 papers investigating the determinants of CSA adoption. Among them, four papers investigated the determinants of CSA adoption among smallholders by reviewing and summarizing the findings in the literature and conducting a meta-analysis. Three papers explored the role of social-economic factors on ICT adoption, including capital, social responsibility awareness, and digital advisory services. Besides, three papers examined the associations between external development interventions, including climate-smart villages and civil-society initiatives, and CSA adoption. We collected eight papers exploring the impacts of CSA adoption. Among them, one paper conducted a comprehensive literature review to summarize the impacts of CSA adoption on crop yields, farm income, and environmental sustainability. Six papers estimated the impacts of CSA adoption on crop yields and farm income, and one paper focused on the impact of CSA adoption on factor demand and input substitution. The last paper included in this special issue delved into the advancements in technological innovation for agricultural adaptation within the context of climate-smart agriculture.

The structure of this paper is as follows: Section  2 summarizes the papers received in this special issue. Section  3 introduces the international conference that was purposely organized for the special issue. Section  4 summarizes the key findings of the 19 papers published in the special issue, followed by a summary of their policy implications, presented in Section  5 . The final section provides a brief conclusion.

2 Summary of received manuscripts

The special issue received 77 submissions, with the contributing authors hailing from 22 countries, as illustrated in Fig.  1 . This diversity highlights the global interest and wide-ranging contributions to the issue. Notably, over half of these submissions (53.2%) originated from corresponding authors in India and China, with 29 and 12 manuscripts, respectively. New Zealand authors contributed six manuscripts, while their Australian counterparts submitted four. Following closely, authors from the United Kingdom and Kenya each submitted three manuscripts. Authors from Thailand, Pakistan, Japan, and Germany submitted two manuscripts each. The remaining 12 manuscripts came from authors in Vietnam, Uzbekistan, the Philippines, Nigeria, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Italy, Indonesia, Ghana, Ethiopia, Brazil, and Bangladesh.

Distributions of 77 received manuscripts by corresponding authors' countries

Among the 77 received manuscripts, 30 were desk-rejected by the guest editors because they did not meet the aims and scope of the special issue, and the remaining 47, considered candidate papers for the special issue, were sent for external review. The decision on each manuscript was made based on review reports of 2–4 experts in this field. The guest editors also read and commented on each manuscript before they made decisions.

3 ADBI virtual international conference

3.1 selected presentations.

The guest editors from Lincoln University (New Zealand) and the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) (Tokyo, Japan) organized a virtual international conference on the special issue theme “ Climate-Smart Agriculture: Adoption, Impacts, and Implications for Sustainable Development ”. The conference was organized on 10–11 October 2023 and was supported by the ADBI. Footnote 1 As previously noted, the guest editors curated a selection of 47 manuscripts from the pool of 77 submissions, identifying them as potential candidates for inclusion in the special issue, and sent them out for external review. Given the logistical constraints of orchestrating a two-day conference, the guest editors ultimately extended invitations to 20 corresponding authors. These authors were invited to present their work at the virtual international conference.

Figure  2 illustrates the native countries of the presenters, showing that the presenters were from 10 different countries. Most of the presenters were from India, accounting for 40% of the presenters. This is followed by China, where the four presenters were originally from. The conference presentations and discussions proved immensely beneficial, fostering knowledge exchange among presenters, discussants, and participants. It significantly allowed presenters to refine their manuscripts, leveraging the constructive feedback from discussants and fellow attendees.

Distributions of selected presentations by corresponding authors' countries

3.2 Keynote speeches

The guest editors invited two keynote speakers to present at the two-day conference. They were Prof. Edward B. Barbier from the Colorado State University in the United States Footnote 2 and Prof. Tatsuyoshi Saijo from Kyoto University of Advanced Science in Japan. Footnote 3

Prof. Edward Barbier gave a speech, “ A Policy Strategy for Climate-Smart Agriculture for Sustainable Rural Development ”, on 10th October 2023. He outlined a strategic approach for integrating CSA into sustainable rural development, particularly within emerging markets and developing economies. He emphasized the necessity of CSA and nature-based solutions (NbS) to tackle food security, climate change, and rural poverty simultaneously. Highlighting the substantial investment needs and the significant role of international and domestic financing, Prof. Barbier advocated reducing harmful subsidies in agriculture, forestry, fishing, and fossil fuel consumption to redirect funds toward CSA and NbS investments. He also proposed the implementation of a tropical carbon tax as an innovative financing mechanism. By focusing on recycling environmentally harmful subsidies and leveraging additional funding through public and private investments, Prof. Barbier’s strategy aims to foster a “win–win” scenario for climate action and sustainable development, underscoring the urgency of adopting comprehensive policies to mobilize the necessary resources for these critical investments.

Prof. Tatsuyoshi Saijo, gave his speech, “ Future Design ”, on 11th October 2023. He explored the significant impact of the Haber–Bosch process on human civilization and the environment. Prof. Saijo identifies this process, which synthetically fixed nitrogen from the atmosphere to create ammonia for fertilizers and other products, as the greatest invention from the twentieth century to the present, fundamentally transforming the world’s food production and enabling the global population and industrial activities to expand dramatically. He also discussed the environmental costs of this technological advancement, including increased greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, and contribution to climate change. Prof. Saijo then introduced the concept of “Future Design” as a method to envision and implement sustainable social systems that consider the well-being of future generations. He presented various experiments and case studies from Japan and beyond, showing how incorporating perspectives of imaginary future generations into decision-making processes can lead to more sustainable choices. By doing so, Prof. Saijo suggested that humanity can address the “Intergenerational Sustainability Dilemma” and potentially avoid the ecological overshoot and collapse faced by past civilizations like Easter Island. He called for a redesign of social systems to activate “futurability”, where individuals derive happiness from decisions that benefit future generations, ultimately aiming to ensure the long-term survival of humankind amidst environmental challenges.

4 Summary of published articles

As a result of a rigorous double-anonymized reviewing process, the special issue accepted 19 articles for publication. These studies have investigated the determinants and impacts of CSA adoption. Table 1 in the Appendix summarises the CSA technologies and practices considered in each paper. Below, we summarize the key findings of the contributions based on their research themes.

4.1 Determinants of CSA adoption among smallholders

4.1.1 influencing factors of csa adoption from literature review.

Investigating the factors influencing farmers’ adoption of CSA practices through a literature review helps offer a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted determinants of CSA adoption. Investigating the factors influencing farmers’ adoption of CSA practices through a literature review helps provide a comprehensive understanding of the determinants of CSA adoption. Such analyses help identify consistent trends and divergences in how different variables influence farmers’ CSA adoption decisions. In this special issue, we collected four papers that reviewed the literature and synthesized the factors influencing farmers’ decisions to adopt CSA.

Li, Ma and Zhu’s paper, “ A systematic literature review of factors influencing the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices ”, conducted a systematic review of the literature on the adoption of CSA, summarizing the definitions of CSA practices and the factors that influence farmers’ decisions to adopt these practices. The authors reviewed 190 studies published between 2013 and 2023. They broadly defined CSA practices as “agricultural production-related and unrelated practices that can help adapt to climate change and increase agricultural outputs”. Narrowly, they defined CSA practices as “agricultural production-related practices that can effectively adapt agriculture to climate change and reinforce agricultural production capacity”. The review identified that many factors, including age, gender, education, risk perception, preferences, access to credit, farm size, production conditions, off-farm income, and labour allocation, have a mixed (positive or negative) influence on the adoption of CSA practices. Variables such as labour endowment, land tenure security, access to extension services, agricultural training, membership in farmers’ organizations, support from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), climate conditions, and access to information were consistently found to positively influence CSA practice adoption.

Thottadi and Singh’s paper, “ Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) adaptation, adaptation determinants and extension services synergies: A systematic review ””, reviewed 45 articles published between 2011 and 2022 to explore different CAS practices adopted by farmers and the factors determining their adoption. They found that CSA practices adopted by farmers can be categorized into five groups. These included resilient technologies (e.g., early maturing varieties, drought-resistant varieties, and winter ploughing), management strategies (e.g., nutrient management, water management, and pest management), conservation technologies (e.g., vermicomposting and residue management, drip and sprinkler irrigation, and soil conservation), diversification of income security (e.g., mixed farming, livestock, and crop diversification), and risk mitigation strategies (e.g., contingent planning, adjusting plant dates, and crop insurance). They also found that farmers’ decisions to adopt CSA practices are mainly determined by individual characteristics (age, gender, and education), socioeconomic factors (income and wealth), institutional factors (social group, access to credit, crop insurance, distance, land tenure, and rights), behavioural factors (climate perception, farmers’ perception on CSA, Bookkeeping), and factor endowments (family labour, machinery, and land size). The authors emphasized that extension services improved CSA adaptation by reducing information asymmetry.

Naveen, Datta, Behera and Rahut’s paper, “ Climate-Smart Agriculture in South Asia: Exploring Practices, Determinants, and Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals ”, offered a comprehensive systematic review of 78 research papers on CSA practice adoption in South Asia. Their objective was to assess the current implementation of CSA practices and to identify the factors that influence farmers’ decisions to adopt these practices. They identified various CSA practices widely adopted in South Asia, including climate-resilient seeds, zero tillage, water conservation, rescheduling of planting, crop diversification, soil conservation and water harvesting, and agroforestry. They also identified several key factors that collectively drive farmers’ adoption of CSA practices. These included socioeconomic factors (age, education, livestock ownership, size of land holdings, and market access), institutional factors (access to information and communication technology, availability of credit, input subsidies, agricultural training and demonstrations, direct cash transfers, and crop insurance), and climatic factors (notably rising temperatures, floods, droughts, reduced rainfall, and delayed rainfall).

Wang, Wang and Fu’s paper, “ Can social networks facilitate smallholders’ decisions to adopt Climate-smart Agriculture technologies? A three-level meta-analysis ”, explored the influence of social networks on the adoption of CSA technologies by smallholder farmers through a detailed three-level meta-analysis. This analysis encompassed 26 empirical studies, incorporating 150 effect sizes. The authors reported a modest overall effect size of 0.065 between social networks and the decision-making process for CSA technology adoption, with an 85.21% variance observed among the sample effect sizes. They found that over half (55.17%) of this variance was attributed to the differences in outcomes within each study, highlighting the impact of diverse social network types explored across the studies as significant contributors. They did not identify publication bias in this field. Among the three types of social networks (official-advising network, peer-advising network, and kinship and friendship network), kinship and friendship networks are the most effective in facilitating smallholders’ decisions to adopt climate-smart agriculture technologies.

4.1.2 Socioeconomic factors influencing CSA adoption

We collected three papers highlighting the diverse forms of capital, social responsibility awareness, and effectiveness of digital advisory services in promoting CSA in India, China and Ghana. These studies showcase how digital tools can significantly increase the adoption of CSA technologies, how social responsibility can motivate CSA practices and the importance of various forms of capital in CSA strategy adoption.

Sandilya and Goswami’s paper, “ Effect of different forms of capital on the adoption of multiple climate-smart agriculture strategies by smallholder farmers in Assam, India ”, delved into the determinants behind the adoption of CSA strategies by smallholder farmers in Nagaon district, India, a region notably prone to climate adversities. The authors focused on six types of capital: physical, social, human, financial, natural, and institutional. They considered four CSA practices: alternate land use systems, integrated nutrient management, site-specific nutrient management, and crop diversification. Their analyses encompassed a dual approach, combining a quantitative analysis via a multivariate probit model with qualitative insights from focus group discussions. They found that agricultural cooperatives and mobile applications, both forms of social capital, play a significant role in facilitating the adoption of CSA. In contrast, the authors also identified certain barriers to CSA adoption, such as the remoteness of farm plots from all-weather roads (a component of physical capital) and a lack of comprehensive climate change advisories (a component of institutional capital). Furthermore, the authors highlighted the beneficial impact of irrigation availability (a component of physical capital) on embracing alternate land use and crop diversification strategies. Additionally, the application of indigenous technical knowledge (a component of human capital) and the provision of government-supplied seeds (a component of institutional capital) were found to influence the adoption of CSA practices distinctly.

Ye, Zhang, Song and Li’s paper, “ Social Responsibility Awareness and Adoption of Climate-smart Agricultural Practices: Evidence from Food-based Family Farms in China ”, examined whether social responsibility awareness (SRA) can be a driver for the adoption of CSA on family farms in China. Using multiple linear regression and hierarchical regression analyses, the authors analyzed data from 637 family farms in five provinces (Zhejiang, Shandong, Henan, Heilongjiang, and Hebei) in China. They found that SRA positively impacted the adoption of CSA practice. Pro-social motivation and impression management motivation partially and completely mediated the relationship between SRA and the adoption of CSA practices.

Asante, Ma, Prah and Temoso’s paper, “ Promoting the adoption of climate-smart agricultural technologies among maize farmers in Ghana: Using digital advisory services ”, investigated the impacts of digital advisory services (DAS) use on CSA technology adoption and estimated data collected from 3,197 maize farmers in China. The authors used a recursive bivariate probit model to address the self-selection bias issues when farmers use DAS. They found that DAS notably increases the propensity to adopt drought-tolerant seeds, zero tillage, and row planting by 4.6%, 4.2%, and 12.4%, respectively. The average treatment effect on the treated indicated that maize farmers who use DAS are significantly more likely to adopt row planting, zero tillage, and drought-tolerant seeds—by 38.8%, 24.9%, and 47.2%, respectively. Gender differences in DAS impact were observed; male farmers showed a higher likelihood of adopting zero tillage and drought-tolerant seeds by 2.5% and 3.6%, respectively, whereas female farmers exhibited a greater influence on the adoption of row planting, with a 2.4% probability compared to 1.5% for males. Additionally, factors such as age, education, household size, membership in farmer-based organizations, farm size, perceived drought stress, perceived pest and disease incidence, and geographic location were significant determinants in the adoption of CSA technologies.

4.1.3 Climate-smart villages and CSA adoption

Climate-Smart Villages (CSVs) play a pivotal role in promoting CSA by significantly improving farmers’ access to savings and credit, and the adoption of improved agricultural practices among smallholder farmers. CSV interventions demonstrate the power of community-based financial initiatives in enabling investments in CSA technologies. In this special issue, we collected two insightful papers investigating the relationship between CSVs and the adoption of CSA practices, focusing on India and Kenya.

Villalba, Joshi, Daum and Venus’s paper, “ Financing Climate-Smart Agriculture: A Case Study from the Indo-Gangetic Plains ”, investigated the adoption and financing of CSA technologies in India, focusing on two capital-intensive technologies: laser land levelers and happy seeders. Conducted in Karnal, Haryana, within the framework of Climate-Smart-Villages, the authors combined data from a household survey of 120 farmers, interviews, and focus group discussions with stakeholders like banks and cooperatives. The authors found that adoption rates are high, with 77% for laser land levelers and 52% for happy seeders, but ownership is low, indicating a preference for renting from Custom-Hiring Centers. Farmers tended to avoid formal banking channels for financing, opting instead for informal sources like family, savings, and money lenders, due to the immediate access to credit and avoidance of bureaucratic hurdles. The authors suggested that institutional innovations and governmental support could streamline credit access for renting CSA technologies, emphasizing the importance of knowledge transfer, capacity building, and the development of digital tools to inform farmers about financing options. This research highlights the critical role of financing mechanisms in promoting CSA technology adoption among smallholder farmers in climate-vulnerable regions.

Asseldonk, Oostendorp, Recha, Gathiaka, Mulwa, Radeny Wattel and Wesenbeeck’s paper, “ Distributional impact of climate‑smart villages on access to savings and credit and adoption of improved climate‑smart agricultural practices in the Nyando Basin, Kenya ”, investigated the impact of CSV interventions in Kenya on smallholder farmers’ access to savings, credit, and adoption of improved livestock breeds as part of CSA practices. The authors employed a linear probability model to estimate a balanced panel of 118 farm households interviewed across 2017, 2019, and 2020. They found that CSV interventions significantly increased the adoption of improved livestock breeds and membership in savings and credit groups, which further facilitated the adoption of these improved breeds. The findings highlighted that community-based savings and loan initiatives effectively enable farmers to invest in CSA practices. Although there was a sustained positive trend in savings and loans group membership, the adoption of improved livestock did not show a similar sustained increase. Moreover, the introduction of improved breeds initially benefited larger livestock owners more. However, credit availability was found to reduce this inequity in ownership among participants, making the distribution of improved livestock more equitable within CSVs compared to non-CSV areas, thus highlighting the potential of CSV interventions to reduce disparities in access to improved CSA practices.

4.1.4 Civil-society initiatives and CSA adoption

Civil society initiatives are critical in promoting CSA by embedding its principles across diverse agricultural development projects. These initiatives enhance mitigation, adaptation, and food security efforts for smallholder farmers, demonstrating the importance of varied implementation strategies to address the challenges of CSA. We collected one paper investigating how civil society-based development projects in Asia and Africa incorporated CSA principles to benefit smallholder farmers and local communities.

Davila, Jacobs, Nadeem, Kelly and Kurimoto’s paper, “ Finding climate smart agriculture in civil-society initiatives ”, scrutinized the role of international civil society and non-government organizations (NGOs) in embedding CSA principles within agricultural development projects aimed at enhancing mitigation, adaptation, and food security. Through a thematic analysis of documentation from six projects selected on the basis that they represented a range of geographical regions (East Africa, South, and Southeast Asia) and initiated since 2009, the authors assessed how development programs incorporate CSA principles to support smallholder farmers under CSA’s major pillars. They found heterogeneous application of CSA principles across the projects, underscoring a diversity in implementation strategies despite vague definitions and focuses of CSA. The projects variedly contributed to greening and forests, knowledge exchange, market development, policy and institutional engagement, nutrition, carbon and climate action, and gender considerations.

4.2 Impacts of CSA adoption

4.2.1 impacts of csa adoption from literature review.

A comprehensive literature review on the impacts of CSA adoption plays an indispensable role in bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical implementation in the agricultural sector. In this special issue, we collected one paper that comprehensively reviewed the literature on the impacts of CSA adoption from the perspective of the triple win of CSA.

Zheng, Ma and He’s paper, “ Climate-smart agricultural practices for enhanced farm productivity, income, resilience, and Greenhouse gas mitigation: A comprehensive review ”, reviewed 107 articles published between 2013–2023 to distill a broad understanding of the impacts of CSA practices. The review categorized the literature into three critical areas of CSA benefits: (a) the sustainable increase of agricultural productivity and incomes; (b) the adaptation and enhancement of resilience among individuals and agrifood systems to climate change; and (c) the reduction or avoidance of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions where feasible. The authors found that CSA practices significantly improved farm productivity and incomes and boosted technical and resource use efficiency. Moreover, CSA practices strengthened individual resilience through improved food consumption, dietary diversity, and food security while enhancing agrifood systems’ resilience by mitigating production risks and reducing vulnerability. Additionally, CSA adoption was crucial in lowering Greenhouse gas emissions and fostering carbon sequestration in soils and biomass, contributing to improved soil quality.

4.2.2 Impacts on crop yields and farm income

Understanding the impact of CSA adoption on crop yields and income is crucial for improving agricultural resilience and sustainability. In this special issue, we collected three papers highlighting the transformative potential of CSA practices in boosting crop yields, commercialization, and farm income. One paper focuses on India and the other concentrates on Ghana and Kenya.

Tanti, Jena, Timilsina and Rahut’s paper, “ Enhancing crop yields and farm income through climate-smart agricultural practices in Eastern India ”, examined the impact of CSA practices (crop rotation and integrated soil management practices) on crop yields and incomes. The authors used propensity score matching and the two-stage least square model to control self-selection bias and endogeneity and analyzed data collected from 494 farm households in India. They found that adopting CSA practices increases agricultural income and paddy yield. The crucial factor determining the adoption of CSA practices was the income-enhancing potential to transform subsistence farming into a profoundly ingrained farming culture.

Asante, Ma, Prah and Temoso’s paper, “ Farmers’ adoption of multiple climate-smart agricultural technologies in Ghana: Determinants and impacts on maize yields and net farm income ”, investigated the factors influencing maize growers’ decisions to adopt CSA technologies and estimated the impact of adopting CSA technologies on maize yields and net farm income. They considered three CSA technology types: drought-resistant seeds, row planting, and zero tillage. The authors used the multinomial endogenous switching regression model to estimate the treatment effect of CSA technology adoption and analyze data collected from 3,197 smallholder farmers in Ghana. They found that farmer-based organization membership, education, resource constraints such as lack of land, access to markets, and production shocks such as perceived pest and disease stress and drought are the main factors that drive farmers’ decisions to adopt CSA technologies. They also found that integrating any CSA technology or adopting all three CSA technologies greatly enhances maize yields and net farm income. Adopting all three CSA technologies had the largest impact on maize yields, while adopting row planting and zero tillage had the greatest impact on net farm income.

Mburu, Mburu, Nyikal, Mugera and Ndambi’s paper, “ Assessment of Socioeconomic Determinants and Impacts of Climate-Smart Feeding Practices in the Kenyan Dairy Sector ”, assessed the determinants and impacts of adopting climate-smart feeding practices (fodder and feed concentrates) on yield, milk commercialization, and household income. The authors used multinomial endogenous switching regression to account for self-selection bias arising from observable and unobservable factors and estimated data collected from 665 dairy farmers in Kenya. They found that human and social capital, resource endowment, dairy feeding systems, the source of information about feeding practices, and perceived characteristics were the main factors influencing farmers’ adoption of climate-smart feeding practices. They also found that combining climate-smart feed concentrates and fodder significantly increased milk productivity, output, and dairy income. Climate-smart feed concentrates yielded more benefits regarding dairy milk commercialization and household income than climate-smart fodder.

4.2.3 Impacts on crop yields

Estimating the impacts of CSA adoption on crop yields is crucial for enhancing food security, improving farmers’ resilience to climate change, and guiding policy and investment towards sustainable agricultural development. In this special issue, we collected one paper that provided insights into this field.

Singh, Bisaria, Sinha, Patasaraiya and Sreerag’s paper, “ Developing A Composite Weighted Indicator-based Index for Monitoring and Evaluating Climate-Smart Agriculture in India ”, developed a composite index based on a weighted index to calculate the Climate Smart Score (CSS) at the farm level in India and tested the relationship between computed CSS and farm-level productivity. Through an intensive literature review, the authors selected 34 indicators, which were then grouped into five dimensions for calculating CSS. These dimensions encompassed governance (e.g., land ownership, subsidized fertilizer, and subsidized seeds), farm management practices (mulching, zero tillage farming, and inter-cropping and crop diversification), environment management practices (e.g., not converting forested land into agricultural land and Agroforestry/plantation), energy management (e.g., solar water pump and Biogas digester), and awareness and training (e.g., knowledge of climate-related risk and timely access to weather and agro-advisory). They tested the relationship between CSS and farm productivity using data collected from 315 farmers. They found that improved seeds, direct seeding of rice, crop diversification, zero tillage, agroforestry, crop residue management, integrated nutrient management, and training on these practices were the most popular CSA practices the sampled farmers adopted. In addition, there was a positive association between CSS and paddy, wheat, and maize yields. This finding underscores the beneficial impact of CSA practices on enhancing farm productivity.

4.2.4 Impacts on incomes and benefit–cost ratio

Understanding the income effects of CSA adoption is crucial for assessing its impact on household livelihoods, farm profitability, and income diversity. Quantifying income enhancements would contribute to informed decision-making and investment strategies to improve farming communities’ economic well-being. In this special issue, we collected two papers looking into the effects of CSA adoption on income.

Sang, Chen, Hu and Rahut’s paper, “ Economic benefits of climate-smart agricultural practices: Empirical investigations and policy implications ”, investigated the impact of CSA adoption intensity on household income, net farm income, and income diversity. They used the two-stage residual inclusion model to mitigate the endogeneity of CSA adoption intensity and analyzed the 2020 China Rural Revitalization Survey data. They also used the instrumental-variable-based quantile regression model to investigate the heterogeneous impacts of CSA adoption intensity. The authors found that the education level of the household head and geographical location determine farmers’ adoption intensity of CSAs.CSA practices. The higher levels of CSA adoption were positively and significantly associated with higher household income, net farm income, and income diversity. They also found that while the impact of CSA adoption intensity on household income escalates across selected quantiles, its effect on net farm income diminishes over these quantiles. Additionally, the study reveals that CSA adoption intensity notably enhances income diversity at the 20th quantile only.

Kandulu, Zuo, Wheeler, Dusingizimana and Chagund’s paper, “ Influence of climate-smart technologies on the success of livestock donation programs for smallholder farmers in Rwanda ”, investigated the economic, environmental, and health benefits of integrating CSA technologies —specifically barns and biogas plants—into livestock donation programs in Rwanda. Employing a stochastic benefit–cost analysis from the perspective of the beneficiaries, the authors assessed the net advantages for households that receive heifers under an enhanced program compared to those under the existing scheme. They found that incorporating CSA technologies not only boosts the economic viability of these programs but also significantly increases the resilience and sustainability of smallholder farming systems. More precisely, households equipped with cows and CSA technologies can attain net benefits up to 3.5 times greater than those provided by the current program, with the benefit–cost ratios reaching up to 5. Furthermore, biogas technology reduces deforestation, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, and lowering the risk of respiratory illnesses, underscoring the multifaceted advantages of integrating such innovations into livestock donation initiatives.

4.2.5 Impacts on factor demand and input substitution

Estimating the impacts of CSA adoption on factor demand and input substitution is key to optimizing resource use, reducing environmental footprints, and ensuring agricultural sustainability by enabling informed decisions on efficient input use and technology adoption. In this field, we collected one paper that enriched our understanding in this field. Understanding the impacts of CSA adoption on factor demand, input substitution, and financing options is crucial for promoting sustainable farming in diverse contexts. In this special issue, we collected one paper comprehensively discussing how CSA adoption impacted factor demand and input substitution.

Kehinde, Shittu, Awe and Ajayi’s paper, “ Effects of Using Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices on Factor Demand and Input Substitution among Smallholder Rice Farmers in Nigeria ”, examined the impacts of agricultural practices with CSA potential (AP-CSAPs) on the demand of labour and other production factors (seed, pesticides, fertilizers, and mechanization) and input substitution. The AP-CSAPs considered in this research included zero/minimum tillage, rotational cropping, green manuring, organic manuring, residue retention, and agroforestry. The authors employed the seemingly unrelated regression method to estimate data collected from 1,500 smallholder rice farmers in Nigeria. The authors found that labour and fertilizer were not easily substitutable in the Nigerian context; increases in the unit price of labour (wage rate) and fertilizer lead to a greater budget allocation towards these inputs. Conversely, a rise in the cost of mechanization services per hectare significantly reduced labour costs while increasing expenditure on pesticides and mechanization services. They also found that most AP-CSAPs were labour-intensive, except for agroforestry, which is labor-neutral. Organic manure and residue retention notably conserved pesticides, whereas zero/minimum tillage practices increased the use of pesticides and fertilizers. Furthermore, the demand for most production factors, except pesticides, was found to be price inelastic, indicating that price changes do not significantly alter the quantity demanded.

4.3 Progress of research on CSA

Understanding the progress of research on CSA is essential for identifying and leveraging technological innovations—like greenhouse advancements, organic fertilizer products, and biotechnological crop improvements—that support sustainable agricultural adaptation. This knowledge enables the integration of nature-based strategies, informs policy, and underscores the importance of international cooperation in overcoming patent and CSA adoption challenges to ensure global food security amidst climate change. We collected one paper in this field.

Tey, Brindal, Darham and Zainalabidin’s paper, “ Adaptation technologies for climate-smart agriculture: A patent network analysis ”, delved into the advancements in technological innovation for agricultural adaptation within the context of CSA by analyzing global patent databases. The authors found that greenhouse technologies have seen a surge in research and development (R&D) efforts, whereas composting technologies have evolved into innovations in organic fertilizer products. Additionally, biotechnology has been a significant focus, aiming to develop crop traits better suited to changing climate conditions. A notable emergence is seen in resource restoration innovations addressing climate challenges. These technologies offer a range of policy options for climate-smart agriculture, from broad strategies to specific operational techniques, and pave the way for integration with nature-based adaptation strategies. However, the widespread adoption and potential impact of these technologies may be hindered by issues related to patent ownership and the path dependency this creates. Despite commercial interests driving the diffusion of innovation, international cooperation is clearly needed to enhance technology transfer.

5 Summary of key policy implications

The collection of 19 papers in this special issue sheds light on the critical aspects of promoting farmers’ adoption of CSA practices, which eventually help enhance agricultural productivity and resilience, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve food security and soil health, offer economic benefits to farmers, and contribute to sustainable development and climate change adaptation. We summarize and discuss the policy implications derived from this special issue from the following four aspects:

5.1 Improving CSA adoption through extension services

Extension services help reduce information asymmetry associated with CSA adoption and increase farmers’ awareness of CSA practices’ benefits, costs, and risks while addressing their specific challenges. Therefore, the government should improve farmers’ access to extension services. These services need to be inclusive and customized to meet the gender-specific needs and the diverse requirements of various farming stakeholders. Additionally, fostering partnerships between small and medium enterprises and agricultural extension agents is crucial for enhancing the local availability of CSA technologies. Government-sponsored extension services should prioritize equipping farmers with essential CSA skills, ensuring they are well-prepared to implement these practices. This structured approach will streamline the adoption process and significantly improve the effectiveness of CSA initiatives.

5.2 Facilitating CSA adoption through farmers’ organizations

Farmers’ organizations, such as village cooperatives, farmer groups, and self-help groups, play a pivotal role in facilitating farmers’ CSA adoption and empowering rural women’s adoption through effective information dissemination and the use of agricultural apps. Therefore, the government should facilitate the establishment and development of farmers’ organizations and encourage farmers to join those organizations as members. In particular, the proven positive impacts of farmer-based organizations (FBOs) highlight the importance of fostering collaborations between governments and FBOs. Supporting farmer cooperatives with government financial and technical aid is essential for catalyzing community-driven climate adaptation efforts. Furthermore, the successful use of DAS in promoting CSA adoption underscores the need for government collaboration with farmer groups to expand DAS utilization. This includes overcoming usage barriers and emphasizing DAS’s reliability as a source of climate-smart information. By establishing and expanding digital hubs and demonstration centres in rural areas, farmers can access and experience DAS technologies firsthand, leading to broader adoption and integration into their CSA practices.

5.3 Enhancing CSA adoption through agricultural training and education

Agricultural training and education are essential in enhancing farmers’ adoption of CSA. To effectively extend the reach of CSA practices, the government should prioritize expanding rural ICT infrastructure investments and establish CSA training centres equipped with ICT tools that target key demographics such as women and older people, aiming to bridge the digital adoption gaps. Further efforts should prioritize awareness and training programs to ensure farmers can access weather and agro-advisory services. These programs should promote the use of ICT-based tools through collaborations with technology providers and include regular CSA training and the establishment of demonstration fields that showcase the tangible benefits of CSA practices.

Education plays a vital role in adopting CAPs, suggesting targeted interventions such as comprehensive technical training to assist farmers with limited educational backgrounds in understanding the value of CAPs, ultimately improving their adoption rates. Establishing robust monitoring mechanisms is crucial to maintaining farmer engagement and success in CSA practices. These mechanisms will facilitate the ongoing adoption and evaluation of CSA practices and help educate farmers on the long-term benefits. Centralizing and disseminating information about financial products and subsidies through various channels, including digital platforms tailored to local languages and contexts, is essential. This approach helps educate farmers on financing options and requirements, supporting the adoption of CSA technologies among smallholder farmers. Lastly, integrating traditional and local knowledge with scientific research and development can effectively tailor CSA initiatives. This integration requires the involvement of a range of stakeholders, including NGOs, to navigate the complexities of CSA and ensure that interventions are effective but also equitable and sustainable. The enhanced capacity of institutions and their extension teams will further support these CSA initiatives.

5.4 Promoting CSA adoption through establishing social networks and innovating strategies

The finding that social networks play a crucial role in promoting the adoption of CSA suggests that implementing reward systems to incentivize current CSA adopters to advocate for climate-smart practices within their social circles could be an effective strategy to promote CSA among farmers. The evidence of a significant link between family farms’ awareness of social responsibility and their adoption of CSA highlights that governments should undertake initiatives, such as employing lectures and pamphlets, to enhance family farm operating farmers’ understanding of social responsibility. The government should consider introducing incentives that foster positive behavioural changes among family farms to cultivate a more profound commitment to social responsibility. The government can also consider integrating social responsibility criteria into the family farm awards and recognition evaluation process. These measures would encourage family farms to align their operations with broader social and environmental goals, promoting CSA practices.

Combining traditional incentives, such as higher wages and access to improved agricultural inputs, with innovative strategies like community-driven development for equipment sharing and integrating moral suasion with Payment for Ecosystem Services would foster farmers’ commitment to CSA practices. The finding that technological evolution plays a vital role in shaping adaptation strategies for CSA highlights the necessity for policy instruments that not only leverage modern technologies but also integrate them with traditional, nature-based adaptation strategies, enhancing their capacity to address specific CSA challenges. Policymakers should consider the region’s unique socioeconomic, environmental, and geographical characteristics when promoting CSA, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach to ensure the adaptability and relevance of CSA practices across different agricultural landscapes. They should foster an environment that encourages the reporting of all research outcomes to develop evidence-based policies that are informed by a balanced view of CSA’s potential benefits and limitations.

Finally, governance is critical in creating an enabling environment for CSA adoption. Policies should support CSA practices and integrate environmental sustainability to enhance productivity and ecosystem health. Development programs must offer financial incentives, establish well-supported voluntary schemes, provide robust training programs, and ensure the wide dissemination of informational tools. These measures are designed to help farmers integrate CAPs into their operations, improving economic and operational sustainability.

6 Concluding remarks

This special issue has provided a wealth of insights into the adoption and impact of CSA practices across various contexts, underscoring the complexity and multifaceted nature of CSA implementation. The 19 papers in this special issue collectively emphasize the importance of understanding local conditions, farmer characteristics, and broader socioeconomic and institutional factors that influence CSA adoption. They highlight the crucial role of extension services, digital advisory services, social responsibility awareness, and diverse forms of capital in facilitating the adoption of CSA practices. Moreover, the findings stress the positive impact of CSA on farm productivity, income diversification, and resilience to climate change while also pointing out the potential for CSA practices to address broader sustainability goals.

Significantly, the discussions underline the need for policy frameworks that are supportive and adaptive, tailored to specific regional and local contexts to promote CSA adoption effectively. Leveraging social networks, enhancing access to financial products and mechanisms, and integrating technological innovations with traditional agricultural practices are vital strategies for scaling CSA adoption. Furthermore, the discussions advocate for a balanced approach that combines economic incentives with moral persuasion and community engagement to foster sustainable agricultural practices.

These comprehensive insights call for concerted efforts from policymakers, researchers, extension agents, and the agricultural community to foster an enabling environment for CSA. Such an environment would support knowledge exchange, financial accessibility, and the adoption of CSA practices that contribute to the resilience and sustainability of agricultural systems in the face of climate change. As CSA continues to evolve, future research should focus on addressing the gaps identified, exploring innovative financing and technology dissemination models, and assessing the long-term impacts of CSA practices on agricultural sustainability and food security. This special issue lays the groundwork for further exploration and implementation of CSA practices, aiming to achieve resilient, productive, and sustainable agricultural systems worldwide and contribute to the achievements of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Data availability

No new data were created or analyzed during this study. Data sharing is not applicable to this article.

The conference agenda, biographies of the speakers, and conference recordings are available at the ADBI website: https://www.adb.org/news/events/climate-smart-agriculture-adoption-impacts-and-implications-for-sustainable-development .

Profile of Prof. Edward B. Barbie: http://www.edwardbbarbier.com/ .

Google Scholar of Prof. Tatsuyoshi Saijo: https://scholar.google.co.nz/citations?user=ju72inUAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao .

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Acknowledgements

We want to thank all the authors who have submitted papers for the special issue and the reviewers who reviewed manuscripts on time. We acknowledge the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) for supporting the virtual international conference on “ Climate-smart Agriculture: Adoption, Impacts, and Implications for Sustainable Development ” held on 10-11 October 2023. Special thanks to the invited keynote speakers, Prof. Edward Barbier and Prof. Tatsuyoshi Saijo. Finally, we would like to express our thanks, gratitude, and appreciation to the session chairs (Prof. Anita Wreford, Prof. Jianjun Tang, Prof. Alan Renwick, and Assoc. Prof. Sukanya Das), ADBI supporting team (Panharoth Chhay, Mami Nomoto, Mami Yoshida, and Raja Rajendra Timilsina), and discussants who made substantial contributions to the conference.

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Dil Bahadur Rahut

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Ma, W., Rahut, D.B. Climate-smart agriculture: adoption, impacts, and implications for sustainable development. Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change 29 , 44 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-024-10139-z

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It’s Weird Times to Be a Happy Mother

Some reasons why i’ll rarely admit this in public..

I recently published a book about caregiving that is, in part, a rigorously researched explanation of why I love motherhood, despite living in a country that gives parents so little support. One might imagine that constructing and then promoting my arguments as to why caring for others can be meaningful and emotionally enriching, even when it’s challenging, may have led me to feel comfortable saying I like being a mom in casual social settings. It hasn’t. When I am with friends or acquaintances, or connecting with others online, the admission gets stuck in my throat, where it remains with all the other things that are better left unsaid.

It’s a feeling that traces all the way back to the time when my first son was born. I became a mom in 2012, which I unscientifically suspect was right around the time negative messages about motherhood became more common than positive ones. Or at least it certainly felt like this, in the liberal, largely coastal circles I inhabited online and in real life. To voice any delight about my relationship with my son felt a mix of tone-deaf, out of style, and potentially alienating to others.

Over a decade into motherhood, I now see that there are concentric circles to my hesitation to voice positive feelings, layers of potential relational, political, and personal harm I would fear I would unleash if I came clean. I worry about making others who struggle with motherhood feel bad; I worry about undermining the fight to get mothers and other caregivers more systemic support; I worry about turning back the clock on feminism; and I worry about outing myself as sentimental, and therefore intellectually unserious and uncool. Making it all the harder is that this fear doesn’t feel like a product of my tendency to second-guess things, but rather pretty realistic.

When You Care: The Unexpected Magic of Caring for Others

By Elissa Straus. Simon & Schuster.

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The relational piece is the most immediate. When a close friend admits to me that she is struggling with motherhood, the feeling tends to come coated with a heavy dose of physical and emotional exhaustion, shame, maybe even regret. For so long, motherhood was locked up in easy metaphors of goodliness and saintliness. To deviate from this one-note portrayal and refuse to meet unrealistic expectations, to not want to be endlessly giving and enthusiastic about it, was, in this formula, to be a bad person. Ambivalence about either one’s children, or about how motherhood changes the way one can experience the world, was not seen as a healthy part of a huge life undertaking, but a sign that one was not dedicated enough. Even though we have let go of these simplified and unrealistic definitions of a “good mom,” particularly in online discourse, those old-fashioned notions can still get under the skin for those having a hard time. To be in that state, and to hear that I am loving motherhood—a matter of personal disposition as much as it is luck in having children with milder temperaments—might, very understandably, only make things worse.

On a more public level, I fear that me, or anyone, saying I like motherhood, even though it can be tough, has the potential to undermine political efforts to get necessary and overdue support for parents from the government and workplaces. In our current system, moms are suffering because they are moms, which makes managing a job or affording a (not terribly indulgent!) life pretty difficult. For those in the laptop class, they may have scheduling flexibility at work, but that tends to come with an expectation to always be available. Or, for those who work onsite, there is often little flexibility and, too often, very little advance notice of weekly schedules, giving moms a tight 24 hours to figure out caregiving support for the week. We lack universal paid leave, we lack universal and affordable child care and elder care—a one-two punch for all those sandwich-generation parents out there. To say you are having a good time can feel like you are dismissing all the unnecessary suffering that moms experience in the United States because of a lack of societal support. Inversely, to complain about being emotionally spent has become a message of solidarity, a protest chant against everything that makes life so impossible for moms.

Cutting deeper than the threat to pro-mom activism is the threat to feminism. So much of late-20 th -century feminism—though, as I learned when researching my book, mostly white feminism—was about allowing women to have other identities outside of motherhood. To insist on motherhood as a path to meaning, purpose, let alone joy, can feel like I am doing the bidding of conservative forces in our culture, who don’t just advocate for embracing motherhood, but a return to a patriarchal domestic structure in which Dad is on top. What I’d like to do is see what embracing care could look like outside the patriarchy, to look inside the homes women like Betty Friedan encouraged us to escape, and see what is worth appreciating there. With the erosion of reproductive rights and the new popularity of tradwives on social media, pointing out all that is worth celebrating in motherhood can feel dangerous, for people with my politics. And yet, if we don’t do it, what vision of feminism are we promoting for the next generation? Another one in which care is sidelined, marginalized—left to underpaid working-class women, mostly women of color, while wealthier, mostly white women leave the home and do the big, important stuff? I don’t want that either—and yet, still, how to express this?

This disquiet lingers even in solitude, particularly when I am reading smart writing by a smart woman in which motherhood is presented as something that limits or subtracts. It’s not that I have a problem with them feeling that way, or writing about it. I don’t expect anyone to feel the same as I do about this relationship or any of my other relationships, including my relationship with my parents or my husband. The problem isn’t that I feel unseen, so much as I often detect an unspoken assessment that intelligence and motherhood are incompatible. Or, as is the case in many fictional portraits of maternal ambivalence, a feeling that being honest about one’s desires and seeking them out can’t happen in the context of caring for one’s kids. To like motherhood makes me dumb and repressed, I temporarily conclude, cheeks on fire even though nobody is watching.

Because, even when I believe loving motherhood makes me tragically unhip, or when I hesitate to discuss my experience with it with others, my affection for it never wavers. This is the point in the essay when I tell you why. I, like so many women, went into motherhood with a defensive posture. I had no ambivalence about becoming a mom, and am fortunate enough to have a pretty easy time connecting with my children. My big fear was not exactly the act of parenting itself, but how becoming a parent would stop me from living an otherwise interesting and meaningful life.

As it happened, my relationship with my kids has been as philosophically, spiritually, or intellectually vital as anything else I’ve done, leading to the kind of realizations we’ve long wanted to seek elsewhere, away from the home, away from the family. Through them, I’ve cultivated a healthy relationship with uncertainty, with attention, with  feeling closer to the source of life, whatever it is, with all its wonder and fragility—all moments of revelation that came by way of a mix of stress, rupture, wholeness, and ease. If I had let motherhood stay small, confined to the sidelines, then those stressful moments would have felt like forces holding me back on my way to an interesting and meaningful life. But by letting motherhood become big, those challenges—and yes, my kids annoy me sometimes, and yes, I appreciate working and other time I spend away from them—became part of a larger narrative arc.

I really do want to be able to say all this in the company of others—and not just in writing but during unscripted, person-to-person exchanges. While I am so glad moms feel liberated to talk about the hard parts of parenting, I worry that only talking about the hard parts make it so the experience of taking care of our children is kept small, devalued, something not worthy of our curiosity, nor our collective investment. I often long for a whole new language, a whole new vocabulary and even context for discussing motherhood, but I haven’t figured it out yet. Whereas once, we diminished motherhood by easy praise, we now often diminish it with easy complaint. Is there a way to think more expansively and holistically in our conversations about motherhood? To be open to the ways in which the good and the bad are not oppositional, but essential, inevitable parts of a rich, friction-filled experience we may not always like but can love and grow from? I’m still working on it.