Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is a broad term referring to agricultural production methods which aim to increase productivity whilst building resiliency to the threats associated with climate change and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Examples include cover cropping, conservation tillage, agroforestry, and any other methods which support climate change adaptation and mitigation. A critical yet still understudied component of the advancement of CSA lies in understanding how consumers perceive and interact with climate-smart commodities, and with nearly two-thirds (65%) of Americans believing that climate change is a global emergency, a need to investigate what qualities they attribute to “climate-smart” commodities became clear. This study investigates the perceptions of “climate-smart” commodities amongst American consumers through a national survey with consideration of demographic impacts on definitions. Survey questions investigated if consumers were familiar with CSA, what production qualities they perceived as “climate-smart,” and if they were interested in climate-smart commodities. Questions about production methods were categorized into the three main pillars of CSA set forth by the FAO: adaptation, mitigation, and sustainable intensification. The implications for far-reaching climate-smart food policies, marketing/promotional decisions, and sustainability education efforts for Americans are discussed.
