Attention has shifted to the development of villages in Europe and other parts of the world with the goal of combating rural–urban migration, and moving toward self-sufficiency in rural areas. This situation has birthed the smart village idea. Smart village initiatives such as those of the European Union is motivating global efforts aimed at improving the live and livelihood of rural dwellers. These initiatives are focused on improving agricultural productivity, among other things, since most of the food we eat are grown in rural areas around the world. Nevertheless, a major challenge faced by proponents of the smart village concept is how to provide a framework for the development of the term, so that this development is tailored towards sustainability. The current work examines the level of progress of climate smart agriculture, and tries to borrow from its ideals, to develop a framework for smart village development. Given the advances in technology, agricultural development that encompasses reduction of farming losses, optimization of agricultural processes for increased yield, as well as prevention, monitoring, and early detection of plant and animal diseases, has now embraced varieties of smart sensor technologies. The implication is that the studies and results generated around the concept of climate smart agriculture can be adopted in planning of villages, and transforming them into smart villages. Hence, we argue that for effective development of the smart village framework, smart agricultural techniques must be prioritized, viz-a-viz other developmental practicalities.

Next to climate change on the list of challenges faced by humankind in today’s technological age is energy management. While “smart” ideas continue to gather momentum as some of the ways earmarked to combat the menace of a changing climate, coupled with efficient management of energy, research and development in the blockchain is not retracting, recently giving rise to digital currencies capable of fueling massive energy consumption via mining of “crypto-coins”. Given that sustainability is a crucial goal in the design of smart cities nowadays, there are currently no assurances of sustainable cities where cryptocurrency mining is at full scale. Nevertheless, alternative energy sources may come to the rescue in no distant time. In this paper, we contextualize energy-use in smart cities through mining of virtual currencies, in order to predict whether or not smart cities can truly be sustainable if crypto-mining is sustained. An attempt is also made to emphasize the possible ways of reducing energy use and all activities involving digital currencies by seeking to replace “Proof of Work” (PoW) with improved alternatives.

Within a ubiquitous environment, home and office furniture can be maximally utilized to provide ease, especially if the items are designed based on smart technology. For this reason, the acceptance of smart furniture has soared over the years. Given the vast influence of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 on technological advancement in furniture design, it is imperative to examine information and communication technology (ICT) solutions for the elderly in the context of smart furniture design and implementation. This article presents a review of the state-of-the-art literature in smart solutions for the elderly based on publications under ICT smart solutions for these elderly, along with smart furniture options and manufacturer activities in terms of fixing market prices for these furniture materials. Furthermore, patenting rights on some existing smart furniture designs for the elderly, given the current trends in worldwide acceptance, are examined. Moreover, this article also highlights opportunities introduced by IoT-based solutions for the elderly as current trends in research and their effects on human life. Some smart product examples from different enterprises are also presented. New, innovative and active designs must be developed, focusing upon human healthcare, and in turn providing greater comfort and convenience for elderly people. To fulfil these requirements, the also selected technical aspects of new Smart Furniture solutions in connection to the cost of these solutions are discussed. Simultaneously, Smart Furniture solutions need to be flexible, low-cost, easy to buy and install without expert knowledge, and widely available on the market.