What is the name of your organization?
Nopalito Network
What is the name of your solution?
Tribal Market Connect
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Tribal Market Connect is a mobile application that connects buyers to sellers working in informal economies on Tribal lands.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Tucson, AZ, USA
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
USA
What type of organization is your solution team?
Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
The Navajo Nation spans 22,537 square miles across the Four Corners region and has an on-reservation population of 138,488, with a low population density of 6.1 people per square mile—lower than all states except Wyoming and Alaska. The poverty rate is 40%, and 48.5% of working-age individuals are unemployed. While there are about 5,000 registered small businesses on the Nation, growth is limited by inadequate infrastructure, limited access to financing, lack of support networks, and historical exclusion from broader economies. As a result, informal economies have emerged through market spaces where vendors sell goods and services. These markets, often unregulated and unprotected by governing authorities, represent entrepreneurial responses to unmet community needs. Informal markets may be organized or spontaneous, appearing in parking lots or along roadsides, with vendors sometimes traveling over 80 miles. However, their informal and sporadic nature presents challenges—such as difficulties attracting tourists, communicating offerings to community members, and providing reliable location details for customers. These barriers also hinder the ability of vendors to generate sustainable revenue and transition into formalized business structures. Despite these challenges, informal markets remain vital economic hubs and expressions of resilience and entrepreneurship within the Navajo Nation.
What is your solution?
Recognizing informal market spaces and the entrepreneurship of their vendors as community assets—and investing in them—can help alleviate poverty, reduce food insecurity, and build resilience across Tribal Nations. Our Solve Solution aims to: (1) highlight the importance of these markets and their cultural, social, and economic value; (2) increase vendor prosperity by connecting them with buyers; (3) equip vendors with user-friendly digital tools and training; and (4) develop a location-based digital hub of resources for those seeking to formalize their businesses.
Our solution is a mobile application that combines spatial and form-based, crowd-sourced data. Vendors will input real-time market locations, and the goods or services offered each day. They can also create a profile with contact details, links to websites or social media, and typical offerings. Upon arrival, vendors complete a simple survey that updates their location and inventory for that day. Buyers can use the app to search for specific goods or services, locate vendors on a map, and navigate to them. QR code signs at markets will direct visitors to the app, helping tourists and non-tribal members engage comfortably. The app will also include forums, event planning tools, and access to entrepreneurial support.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Our solution supports vendors operating informally on the Navajo Reservation by enabling them to share where they’re selling, and the goods or services they’re offering. It also benefits customers by helping them easily find the products and services they need. Ultimately, the goal is to build a mobile platform, Tribal Market Connect, that boosts vendor visibility and potentially increases sales in these informal economies.
Informal economies often lack data, making their impact difficult to quantify. However, a 2018 Diné Policy Institute survey highlighted their value on the Navajo Nation, the largest reservation in the U.S. The study found that 62% of vendors were women, 55% relied on markets as their primary income source, and 77% said it supported their families. Markets were shown to provide essential goods and services not otherwise available, attract tourist dollars, support cultural needs like traditional medicine and regalia, and disseminate local news.
Supporting these markets benefits individuals and communities. In areas facing economic stagnation, local markets reduce revenue “leakage”—where up to 65% of spending leaves Tribal lands. Retaining even half of local spending, plus passive sales tax from visitors, could generate meaningful revenue for Tribal governments to reinvest in health, cultural preservation, and community development.
