ERSAF is an agency of the Lombardy Region founded in 2002 and dealing with forestry and agriculture and expanded on 2011 through the takeover of the Research Institute for Ecology and Economy Applied to Alpine Areas, acquiring so competences on mountain.

ERSAF main tasks are therefore to carry on technical and promotional activities to develop regional agriculture and forestry and to protect and promote rural and mountain areas in a transversal, multifunctional and integrated vision.

ERSAF main objectives are to:

• support the regional government in setting up and managing agriculture policies, territorial planning, rural and mountain development strategies;
• preserve the riches of wood-lands and forests, manage the regional property and nature reserves for experimental, multifunctional and demonstrative purposes;
• promote European andLombardymountain areas, as a new competitive territorial model, characterized by an innovative context and a high level of the quality of life;
• sustain a multifunctional use of rural areas and an environmental re-qualification of degraded zones;
• boost applied research and innovation in rural and mountain area mainly in the fields of agriculture and forests;
• improve the governance skills of the different institutional entities present in the rural and mountain areas.