NAVAJO FARM LIFE: supporting family farms on the Navajo Nation
WHAT WE DO
Da'ak'eh Iina helps Diné farmers reestablish abandoned farms. We do this by promoting innovative agricultural technologies that address regional water shortages.
FENCES - THE FIRST STEP
Fences are essential to crop production on the Navajo Nation. Without fences free ranging horses and cattle can destroy a field of beans or melons overnight. Unfortunately, the collapse of farm fences has accompanied the collapse of farming in the Chinle Valley and Canyon de Chelly. In order to reestablish crop production in these areas, rebuilding the fencing infrastructure is necessary. Fencing is expensive, though. The cost for a barbed wire perimeter fence on 15 acres is roughly $5000, a sum out of reach of nearly all of the farmers in the region, most of whom struggle to meet basic needs. What does Da'ak'eh Iina do? We supply farm families with fencing supplies: t-posts, barbed wire, wire stays, field fence, gates and corner posts. Then we help then rebuild their fences, one farm, one fence at a time.
WATER - THE SECOND STEP
In the Chinle Valley and Canyon de Chelly water sources have dried up, causing irrigation projects to be abandoned. The resulting water shortage has effectively put an end to reliable crop production in both areas, devastating these once vibrant agricultural communities. Low flow irrigation methods exist but none have been effectively promoted and implemented. Da'ak'eh Iina works to fill this void.
DEMONSTRATION FARM
In 2016 Da'ak'eh Iina started a demonstration farm in the middle of the Chinle Valley. The purpose of this farm is to develop crop production methodologies that address the water shortage on the Navajo Nation. The farm had once grown corn, hay, squash, melons, beans and fruit trees, but like most in the region, the farm had been abandoned. Fences had collapsed, Russian knapweed had taken over the fields, and broken windows, a leaking roof and a crumbling foundation had nearly ruined the farmhouse. Since then we have renovated the farmhouse, repaired the perimeter fence, planted a vegetable garden and restarted crop production. We have also begun testing high efficiency water distribution systems. Thanks to a NAPI grant we will be testing a solar powered drip irrigation system this season. Other projects include an orchard with peach, apricot, apple and cherry tees, and a gravity-fed irrigation system to water the vegetable garden. Our objective is to demonstrate that farming is still viable in this once prolific agricultural valley.
