Civic Academy
Ranches & Navajo Agricultural Products Industry (NAPI) 101
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What the Nation’s ranches and its big farm actually are — and what to ask about them.
Two different things, often said in one breath
When candidates talk about “the ranches and NAPI,” they mean two distinct assets. The ranches are properties the Nation owns — including ranch lands beyond the reservation line — used for grazing and agriculture. NAPI is the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry: a Nation-owned enterprise that runs one of the largest tribally operated farms in the country, growing crops on tens of thousands of irrigated acres in the Nation’s northeast using water from the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project.
Why they come up in every interview
Both are supposed to do the same job: turn the Nation’s land into food, jobs, and revenue for the people. The recurring interview questions are whether they actually do — who benefits from the ranches, whether NAPI’s success reaches ordinary families, and whether these assets could feed the Nation rather than mostly exporting crops.
Who oversees them
NAPI is an enterprise with its own board and management — the same oversight questions apply as with any enterprise: who sits on the board, what they report, and what happens when performance slips. (See Boards & Governance.) The ranches involve the executive branch, the Resources and Development Committee, and land departments. When responsibility is spread out, the useful question is always: who, exactly, answers for this?
Questions worth asking any candidate
Should NAPI’s mission lean toward profit, toward feeding Navajo families, or both — and how? How should ranch access be decided, and audited? What would they publish every year about these assets so the people can see how they’re doing?
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