The Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and the Environment, through the legislation published in the Official Journal, has created the Agricultural Advisory System (SAA) and the Forestry Advisory System (SAF), defining the legal requirements for the recognition of the entities interest in providing counselling services to businesspeople in the agricultural and forestry sectors.

Therefore, they aim to create the conditions for the recognition of the entities providing advisory services that will raise the awareness of beneficiaries for the relation between good agricultural practices and the sustainable management of farms.

SAA and the SAF ensure qualified technical support. These measures are mainly intended to provide counselling on the Community practices and rules for the agricultural and forestry sectors by analysing the performance of farms, creating and implementing action plans, and ensuring the respective monitoring and evaluation.

The recipients of farm advisory services are farmers who practice farming activity, while the forestry advisory services are directed to forest owners.

For the purpose of providing services under SAA and SAF, the entities are recognised following the application, whose opening notice and respective specifications will be published at the address http://www.azores.gov.pt.

Interested parties may submit their applications that should be addressed to the Regional Director for Rural Development or to the Regional Director for Forest Resources, depending on the areas of expertise.

The recognition is valid for five years and its renewal is subject to the submission of a requirement that must be accompanied with the evidence for assessment and maintenance of the conditions. The document should be submitted six months before the end of the five-year period.

Entities wishing to apply for Measure 2 - Advisory services and agricultural management and relief services in farms in the context of PRORURAL+ must be recognised under the legislation now published.