Within the municipal city itself, agriculture plays a limited economic role because Bengaluru is highly urbanized. Historically, however, the surrounding region supported tank-irrigated farming, horticulture, and livestock activity that supplied the city’s markets.
### In the wider Bengaluru region - **Horticulture:** Flowers, fruits, and vegetables have long been important in peri-urban and nearby rural zones. - **Millets, ragi, and other staples:** Traditional dryland crops have been cultivated in the broader Karnataka plateau region. - **Dairy:** Milk supply from surrounding districts is important to the urban food economy. - **Poultry and livestock:** These support metropolitan consumption and food-processing chains. - **Sericulture:** Karnataka has a major silk tradition, and the wider region has historically been linked to silk production and trade.
### Urban and peri-urban change Rapid urban expansion has converted significant agricultural land into residential layouts, industrial estates, logistics uses, and technology parks. This has reduced farming within the immediate metropolitan fringe in many areas, though some horticulture and market gardening remain.
### Food systems Bengaluru relies heavily on produce transported from across Karnataka and neighboring states. Wholesale markets, cold-chain networks, and retail distribution are therefore more economically important within the city than farming itself.
### Organic and specialty farming The city has helped create demand for organic produce, farm-to-table supply chains, and weekend farmers’ markets, but these are still a small share of the overall food system.
