Hatta’s Grassroots Village: The eco-retreat where slow living meets sustainability

If your idea of a weekend escape involves switching off notifications, waking up to birdsong and reconnecting with Nature, there is a place tucked away in the Hajar Mountains that offers exactly that. Located in Hatta, Grassroots Village is a regenerative eco-village built around the principles of community living, sustainability and permaculture. The space invites residents and visitors to slow down and experience a different way of living. How the Grassroots Village was born Grassroots Village was founded in 2024 by Palestinian permaculture practitioners and husband-and-wife team Marwan Ghunaim and Sima Basel, in collaboration with Emirati landowner Mubarak Sagr, who operates a traditional farm in the area. "It was something I had imagined for 10 to 15 years," Ghunaim told Emirates 24|7. "Today, as I walk around the farm, I sometimes think, 'Is this actually real? '" But this journey to running an eco-village in the heart of the Hajar mountains started in 2010, when Ghunaim first discovered Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art at an event in Dubai. The 45-year-old HR professional met his first Capoeira teacher at an event in the UAE and ended up dedicating himself to learning the martial art and leaving his full-time job. “As I switched from HR to Capoeira, most of my activities were out in nature, so we would go for nature escapes and run our social events either at facilitated farms or out in the wilderness,” he said. Over the years, his travels took him across the Arab world, Brazil, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and beyond, exploring alternative education models, eco-villages and sustainable communities. His wife, 33-year-old Basel, grew up in Hebron and later studied in the United States before moving to Abu Dhabi in 2014 to work at New York University Abu Dhabi. She now manages a research laboratory while also practising as a licensed psychologist and running the eco-village with her husband. The pair met in Hatta – at the same farm – in 2021 during a six-week retreat Ghunaim was hosting. "I attended with a friend and Ghunaim and I immediately connected over a shared desire to live a more intentional lifestyle centred around people, nature and community. As he spoke to me about the values of Capoeira and its history, it was a ‘lightbulb’ moment for me, where I realised this is the kind of lifestyle I am seeking as well," Basel recalled. The two got married in 2022, in Jordan, close to their family and moved into their home in Dubai South. There, they turned their garden into a community space, inviting friends and family, hosting events and activities and often talking about building a community for similar-minded individuals. Just a few months before their lease was due to expire in 2024, and as they were preparing to leave the UAE in search of a place where they could build such a community, the couple received an unexpected call from Sagr. The couple had developed a close relationship with him through the events they had hosted at his farm, and Sagr called them over “for tea”. “We went there thinking we were going to just have tea with him, but he told us that he wanted us to develop the farm. That’s when we realised that this was exactly in alignment with what we were looking for,” Basel said. Today, they are raising their three-month-old son, Canaan, at Grassroots Village, and raising awareness on the concept of permaculture. What is permaculture? A combination of the words ‘permanent’ and ‘agrculture’, permaculture is a design philosophy inspired by the way natural ecosystems function and regenerate themselves. While often associated with farming, permaculture extends beyond agriculture to influence how communities, projects and even relationships are designed and managed. "Permaculture is the new evolution in how we regenerate soil, because much of modern agriculture is exploitative. When you start engaging with farms and spending time in nature, you begin to understand how our food systems work. Most of what we see in the market today — vegetables, meat, chicken and eggs — is produced for mass commercial purposes Permaculture connects us as humans back to the land rather than separating us from it,” Ghunaim explained. "The three main ethics of permaculture are Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share. These are the ethics we live by and the principles that guide the way we plan and make decisions," he added. Life in the mountains Unlike a resort, Grassroots Village functions as a living community. Around 15 long-time rentees currently live on the farm, from families where a member works in the city, to freelancers and remote workers. The youngest resident is just one month old. The oldest is a 65-year-old music teacher. Life follows a rhythm dictated less by schedules and more by nature. "We 're living in response," Basel explained. "To the weather, to the people around us, to what 's needed that day." Some mornings involve feeding chickens, watering gardens and tending plants. Other days revol