LANDconnects 2026: The Future is in the Countryside
For its sixth edition, LANDconnects brought the international LAND community to Switzerland for a day dedicated to biodiversity, collaboration and a Nature-Positive future, while celebrating 10 years of LAND Suisse.
On 11 September, around 150 landscape architects, architects, engineers, agronomists and professionals from across the LAND Group gathered near Bellinzona, in the Piano di Magadino, for LANDconnects 2026. For the first time, LAND’s annual international convention took place in Switzerland, marking the tenth anniversary of LAND Suisse.
Around 150 LANDlers joined LANDconnects 2026 in Switzerland
Under the theme “The Future is in the Countryside”, this year’s edition moved beyond the office and into the landscape itself, joining SEMiNTERRA, a local cooperative dedicated to collaborative agriculture. Rather than discussing Nature only as something to be brought back into cities, the LAND community spent the morning working directly with it: cultivating the soil, caring for crops and contributing to the life of the fields.
Exploring collaborative agriculture through hands-on activities in the fields
As Andreas Kipar, CEO and Co-founder of LAND, put it in his opening remarks: we came to Nature to explore its capacity for patience, transformation and collaboration. LANDconnects was a collective experience of learning, collaboration and participation, bringing our mission, “Reconnecting People With Nature”, quite literally to life.
Learning directly from Nature and its beauty
In the afternoon, the event opened to institutions, local stakeholders and guests for a series of Open-Air Talks exploring the relationship between city and countryside and the role that soil, biodiversity, agriculture and landscape can play in the future transformation of our territories.
The discussion was enriched by Giovanni Realini (Repubblica e Cantone Ticino, Sezione della logistica), Mario Branda (Mayor of Bellinzona), Mauro Rusconi (Massagno Municipal Administration), Catharina Berni (Ticino Turismo & Convention Bureau), Stefano Guandalini (ARX), Paolo Foa (TBF & Partners), Studi Associati SA, Sofia Cereghetti (WWF Ticino), Arch. Federica Corso Talento, and many more.
Exploring the relationship between the city and the countryside with special guests
“As a growing town at the foot of the Swiss Alps, Bellinzona is a place where agriculture, water, infrastructure and ecosystems converge. The Parco del Piano di Magadino invites us to rethink the role that soil, biodiversity and local communities can play in shaping the future of our territories. With agriculture managing more than 70% of the area and producing around three quarters of Ticino’s vegetables, this productive landscape is not simply a backdrop to the city: it is an essential part of its identity, resilience and future.” said Mario Branda, Mayor of Bellinzona.
“Our idea is simple: to foster a fairer, more sustainable agriculture through a collective model that celebrates diversity, seasonality and organic local varieties. For us, sustainability also means creating a relationship with the land, giving people the chance to get their hands in the soil, understand where food comes from and rediscover the value of nature” said Eric Vimercati of SEMiNTERRA, reflecting on the the challenges connected to sustainable agriculture.
Celebrating 10 years of LAND Suisse
The day was rounded up by the celebration of 10 years of LAND Suisse, bringing together the LAND community, partners and guests around local products, music and conversation.
More than an anniversary, LANDconnects 2026 was an opportunity to reconnect the different geographies and disciplines of LAND around a shared direction: learning from Nature and placing it back at the centre of how we plan and transform cities, regions and landscapes.
The Future is in the Countryside
As Andreas Kipar concluded: “The future is in the countryside — and beyond. It is in our cities, our regions, our landscapes and in the connections between them.”
