Recently American Indians have experienced an unprecedented renaissance in community spirit. Capitalizing upon this spirit, Indian economic development should be directed toward particular community needs, utilizing Indian leadership to determine needed training and development programs. There is no question but that the majority of Indian reservations have adequate resources for self-support. The problem lies in combining a community's natural and human resources with its cultural strengths to promote a cohesive effort. Educational reorientation is vital to this process, for education must be related to community economic development efforts. Recent examples of innovative Indian economic development programs which have met individualized tribal needs include: (1) the Fort Yuma Reservation's hydroponic farming system; (2) the Lumni Indian Aquaculture Project; and (3) the Pyramid Lake Paiute Project. One of the most promising projects yet to be explored by the reservations is that of a modern food production system which utilizes tribally owned energy resources, since such a system would increase jobs and income far beyond that derived from selling fuel on a royalty basis. By utilizing resource pools and cooperative marketing programs, several tribes could compete with non-Indian food production and thus contribute to U.S. food and energy conservation. (JC)