Feeding the Tribe: The Role of Soft Infrastructure in Addressing the Root Problems of the Navajo Nation San Juan River Irrigation System

Small-scale Navajo farms in northwestern New Mexico have water rights to surface water from the San Juan River, which flows through two main canals to individual farms. The potential of this irrigation system to meet the food security needs of the nation’s residents are undermined by fifty years of deferred maintenance that have left the system in disrepair and led to farm abandonment. Federal appropriations have been made and environmental approvals are nearing completion to address the physical infrastructure needs of the system. However, attention is also needed to rehabilitate the soft infrastructure to ensure timely delivery of irrigation water and allow future generations of farmers to move into farming. This article outlines the root problems of the irrigation system decline, provides a historical and institutional summary of the system, and makes suggestions for addressing the systemic problems, focusing on soft infrastructure issues. Specific soft infrastructure needs include an information system to map and track land-use permits, organization of a maintenance system, revision of governance mechanisms, and creation of academic programs targeted to meet the needs of small-scale Diné farmers.