Ikigaia Community: Community, School, Enterprise Hub and Ecovillage Project in Málaga

Ikigaia Community

Community, School, Enterprise Hub and Ecovillage Project in Málaga

Ikigaia, the intergenerational ecovillage taking shape on 240 hectares in Periana (Málaga)

IKI-GAIA is the ecovillage that the association Semilla Monte Alegre has been developing since 2022 on 240 hectares of the Periana hills, in the Axarquía area of Málaga. It aims to be a community, a school and a space for rural enterprise for all generations; Light Humanity includes it in its lab as the Ikigaia Community.

  • What it is: an ecovillage in the making that aspires to be a “school of life” for all ages.
  • Where: in the Periana hills (Axarquía, Málaga), 15 minutes by car from the nearest village.
  • Who is behind it: the association Semilla Monte Alegre, founded in 2014 and chaired by Rakel Domínguez, founder of IKI-GAIA.
  • In a network: one of the 11 ecovillages of the Red Ibérica de Ecoaldeas (Iberian Ecovillage Network, RIE), and the only one in the province of Málaga.
  • What it offers: courses, workshops, camps, open days, volunteering and residential stays.
  • In the lab: Light Humanity includes it in its Housing area alongside Villabosque, which is also part of the Red Ibérica de Ecoaldeas as a collaborating member, and the Oasis del Jarama Community.
White yurt among rocks at the Ikigaia ecovillage, above a sea of clouds
“View from the top of the yurt, with horizontal rain in the background”, writes Semilla Monte Alegre. Photo: Semilla Monte Alegre
Aerial view of the Ikigaia hillsides in Periana, with holm oaks, tracks and a farmhouse
The ecovillage's hillsides from the air, with holm oaks, dirt tracks and a white farmhouse. Photo: GoHabitat
Water-retention wetland at the Ikigaia ecovillage, reflecting the limestone hills
A water-retention wetland in the landscape, one of the techniques the estate uses to hold on to rainfall. Photo: Semilla Monte Alegre
Organic vegetable garden of the Ikigaia ecovillage on a hillside in the Periana hills
The estate's vegetable garden: according to the association, it supplies most of the organic meals served there. Photo: Semilla Monte Alegre
Vídeo: IKI-GAIA Málaga ecovillage taking off
“IKI-GAIA Málaga Ecovillage taking off”, the 3-minute 18-second video with which Semilla Monte Alegre presented the ecovillage on YouTube in December 2021.

A decade in search of land: from Semilla Monte Alegre to the IKI-GAIA ecovillage

IKI-GAIA grew out of Semilla Monte Alegre, an association in the Axarquía devoted to permaculture and free education. Its ecovillage model is guided by ikigai, one's “reason for being”, and by care for “Mother Gaia”.

  • Before Periana: it was based on an “estate in transition” in Almayate and ran a free school between Almayate and Torre del Mar.
  • December 2020: publishes the IKI-GAIA self-sustaining ecovillage model, conceived as a replicable school and ecovillage.
  • December 2021: after “8 years of maturing”, it announces in the video “IKI-GAIA Málaga Ecovillage taking off” the ecovillage on land of its own, when it was “one step away from closing a deal to buy the great estate” (Semilla Monte Alegre).
  • May 2022: secures “the great land we longed for”, of more than 200 hectares, according to the Red Ibérica de Ecoaldeas.
“After a decade moving between estates in transition, in July 2022 we made our home in Periana, in Málaga's Axarquía” — Semilla Monte Alegre, in the announcement of the 2025 Winter Gathering (semillamontealegre.es)

The IKI-GAIA pioneers: a three-year commitment and a €300,000 plan

  • Commitment: the pioneers had to attend at least three gatherings, be accepted by the core group and commit for three years, according to GAIA-VESAD.
  • Six contracts: for collaborators, prospective members and social lenders, with rights and refunds if someone left (Semilla Monte Alegre).
  • €300,000: in December 2021 the group put the minimum investment for the first phase at that figure, covering renovations to the farm buildings, water tanks, the food forest and preparing the land for the first caravans, and was preparing a crowdfunding campaign to raise it (Semilla Monte Alegre).

Holm oaks, Portuguese oaks and springs at over 900 metres in the Periana hills

GoHabitat, a platform for stays in places that support nature, describes it as a land rich in life that is being protected and gradually reorganised.

  • Horizontal rain: mist and low cloud provide extra water, according to the association's website, which counts three permanent springs and seasonal streams.
  • Mild climate: the sea is close as the crow flies; the sun shines most days, although nights turn cold during storms, according to the RIE.

Water, soil and energy: the ecovillage's lines of work

According to GoHabitat and the association itself:

  • Water: water-retention landscapes to harvest the rain and plant-based purification; water from basins, showers and sinks is reused on the vegetable gardens.
  • Soil and food: agroforestry, food forests, organic and biodynamic vegetable gardening, compost and reforestation.
  • Energy: passive solar design, solar and hydro power, and solar hot water.

A community for all ages: the IKI-GAIA ecovillage model

The model revolves around an intergenerational, multidisciplinary and multicultural centre for learning, working and living together.

  • Groups of 25 to 30 people: the association invites different groups to share the estate in “nuclei/tribes” of that size.
  • From childhood to old age: a school, cohousing for older people and a birthing house; in April 2023, Daniel Stocker, a Swiss musician and permaculture expert on the core team, talked about the free school and housing for older people on the German-language channel Coco Tache.
  • Decisions in the round: sociocracy, nonviolent communication and facilitation for “equitable and horizontal” governance.
  • House rules: the association reminds visitors that the ecovillage is “a space free of smoke, alcohol and drugs”; smoking is allowed only in designated areas and mobile phones are used in dedicated rooms, partly because some members are electrosensitive (Semilla Monte Alegre, RIE).

The IKI-GAIA master plan, project by project

The master plan spreads the projects across the hillside:

  • For visitors: a bioclimatic campsite, bungalows, caravan parking, a restaurant and an adventure park.
  • For learning: the Schetinin educational complex, a permaculture academy and an environmental interpretation centre.
  • For wellbeing: a Sana-Acción centre, a SaLUZ centre, a spa and cohousing for older people.
  • For nature: rewilding areas.
Master plan of the IKI-GAIA ecovillage drawn over an aerial view of the hills
The IKI-GAIA master plan: bioclimatic campsite, Schetinin educational complex, Sana-Acción centre, cohousing for older people and rewilding areas. Image: IKI-GAIA (via GoHabitat)
Interior of Ikigaia's large wooden yurt, with a wood-burning stove and a mezzanine
The large round wooden yurt, with a wood-burning stove and a sleeping loft, which the ecovillage offers for stays. Photo: GoHabitat

Schetinin pedagogy and the free school, Ikigaia's educational heart

Education is the driving force of the project, which aims to be an intergenerational school of life and values “designed for the next seven generations”.

  • Free school: inspired by free schools and forest schools, it carries on the Gaia Learning Community, founded before the move to Periana.
  • Schetinin pedagogy: originated at the Russian school of Tekos; ISKA promotes it in German-speaking countries and Rakel is extending it to Spanish-speaking ones.
  • Camps: crafts, cooking, dance, maths, sport and martial arts, with horses, ponies and hens; the third was announced for 2 to 7 August 2026 (Semilla Monte Alegre).
  • A training complex: the association is planning a natural-build centre with residential accommodation for teenagers, according to its website.
Workshop in the wooden yurt at the Ikigaia ecovillage, with coloured paper
A workshop on the wooden floor of the large yurt. Photo: Semilla Monte Alegre
Children and adults sitting on cushions and a rug in a room at the Ikigaia ecovillage
A session at IKI-GAIA, in a photo the association publishes on the page for its Schetinin camps. Photo: Semilla Monte Alegre

A rural enterprise hub to repopulate the Axarquía hills

The mission of this pioneer phase, the association explains, is to create jobs within the project through rural enterprise models that repopulate the area.

  • Academy of Dreams: supports each person in developing their purpose and their venture, according to its participation models.
  • 600 hours: after contributing 600 hours of voluntary work, people can start a venture or apply for a paid position; to apply for permanent membership they need a year of living in the community and to have completed their financial contribution (Semilla Monte Alegre).
  • Coworking: a multipurpose room with internet access, one of the few connected corners of the estate.

The Red Ibérica de Ecoaldeas and Málaga's permaculture community choose IKI-GAIA for their gatherings

Poster for the summer 2022 Ecovillage Gathering at Iki-Gaia, in Málaga
Poster for the summer gathering of the Red Ibérica de Ecoaldeas at IKI-GAIA: “Life, Land and Community”, 9 to 11 September 2022. Image: Red Ibérica de Ecoaldeas

The estate soon opened its doors: in August 2022, in the midst of moving in, the group was already preparing three open days with the RIE.

  • September 2022: from 9 to 11, one of the three venues of the RIE's summer Multi-Gathering, together with Lakabe (Navarre) and Los Portales (Seville).
  • July 2024: from 15 to 20, a summer camp for children and families using Schetinin pedagogy and the German ISKA, according to La Diversiva.
  • March 2025: from 28 to 30, the Winter Gathering of the Red de Permacultura de Málaga, on regeneration, rural enterprise, repopulation and ecovillages.
  • October 2026: the association announced a holistic water management course with Geoff Lawton and Istvan Markuly to design the estate's water plan.
Dozens of people in a circle around a stone hearth in the Ikigaia meadow
A large circle in the IKI-GAIA meadow, with the limestone hills behind, in spring 2025. Photo: Semilla Monte Alegre
Outdoor meal on the terrace of the Ikigaia ecovillage, with the hills in the background
A shared meal on the terrace: at IKI-GAIA people eat together and, when the season allows, with produce from their gardens. Photo: Semilla Monte Alegre

What's next: a bioclimatic campsite, new residents and immersion stays

  • Bioclimatic campsite: with bungalows and pitches; in 2024 its licence was being processed.
  • More residents: the association is moving forward with the paperwork so that families, cooperatives and projects can live and work on the estate.
  • Immersion: in 2026 it offered stays of at least a month with six hours of collaboration a day, and opened collaborations for facilitators.
  • Supporting members: for a fee of €50 a year, and after signing a confidentiality agreement, they receive the project's internal information and access to online and in-person gatherings (Semilla Monte Alegre).

Ikigaia in the Light Humanity lab

Ikigaia Community shares the Housing area with projects at other scales, such as Minimum Viable Housing and Organic Urban Design. The project team includes Eugenio García-Calderón Huerta, founder of Light Humanity.

In the media