History of Agricultural Activity in the Navajo Nation

activists, and apprehension at alternatives to coal, which she felt was efficient and a part of

faithful stewardship of the land.

Our meeting with Lucinda provided extremely important and personal context for our work on

the project. Given the complex history of coal in the Four Corners area, we recognized the

importance of our project to be led by cultural sensitivity and awareness of the legacy of coal

while working towards renewable energy on the Navajo Nation.

History of Agricultural Activity in the Navajo Nation

Alongside the extractive energy industry activity, there have also been major farming and

agricultural developments on and around Navajo Nation reservation, including the Navajo Indian

Irrigation Project (NIIP), one of the largest Native American agricultural developments in the U.S.13 NIIP provides irrigation to over 100,000 acres of farmland, where a variety of crops grow such as grains, alfalfa, corn, pinto beans, and potatoes.14 NIIP brings water from the Navajo

Lake, created on San Juan River by the Navajo Dam, southwest through a substantial network of

canals and laterals. In 1962, the U.S. federal government authorized the Secretary of Interior

through legislation PL 87-483 to develop this project, and construction began in 1964. In 1970,

the Navajo Nation Council created the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry (NAPI) to manage and operate the NIIP, which is the largest continually irrigated farm in the United States.15 The

NIIP territory is divided into 11 locks, each approximately 10,000 acres in size. Importantly,

while the majority of land is operated by NAPI, some of this land is leased to external parties, which provides this current opportunity for Navajo Power. 16

13 NAPI. History. https://napi.navajopride.com/history/ 14 Farm Progress. Navajo Agricultural Products Industry a farming success in New Mexico, 2006. https://www.farmprogress.com/navajo-agricultural-products-industry-farming-success-new-mexico 15 CEO Magazine. Feeding a nation: Dave Zeller, 2021. https://www.theceomagazine.com/executive-interviews/agriculture-farming/dave-zeller/ 16NAPI. History.

10