Seattle is a highly urban city, so agriculture is not a dominant part of the municipal economy in the same way it is in rural Washington. Still, food production and regional agricultural connections are important to daily life and local markets.
Within and around the city, agricultural activity includes:
- **Urban farming and community gardens** — Seattle supports community gardening through programs such as the P-Patch system, which is well known nationally. - **Farmers markets** — Neighborhood markets connect city residents to produce, dairy, meat, flowers, and specialty products from western and eastern Washington. - **Regional food distribution** — Seattle serves as a major consumption and distribution hub for produce, apples, berries, hops, wine, dairy, seafood, and other Washington products. - **Seafood and fisheries** — While not agriculture in the narrow sense, seafood is central to the city's food economy, with salmon, shellfish, and other marine products playing an important role. - **Food processing and specialty foods** — Roasters, bakeries, breweries, distilleries, and prepared-food businesses are significant parts of the local food sector.
The surrounding state is a major agricultural producer, so Seattle's relationship to agriculture is primarily commercial, culinary, and logistical rather than land-intensive inside city limits. Organic and locally sourced food have a strong presence in grocery stores, restaurants, and direct-to-consumer markets.