As per the Chapter on “Performance of Agriculture in Uttar Pradesh” in the book “Revitalizing Indian Agriculture and Boosting Farmer Incomes” by Ashok Gulati,  Prerna Terway & Siraj Hussain: Uttar Pradesh (UP) is largely an agrarian economy, dominated by small and marginal farmers and engaging about 47% of the population in agriculture. It is largest in terms of size and one of the largest states in terms of area. It has nine agro-climatic zones. There is a wide variation in the value of output from agriculture and allied activities from the various regions of the state. The western zone contributed 49.6% of the total value of output from agriculture and allied activities, followed by the eastern region (27.7%), central region (17.2%) and Bundelkhand (5.5%) in TE 2015–16.

The cropping pattern is dominated by foodgrains, although its share in the value of production is decreasing. Livestock is a major contributor to the growth in agriculture experienced by UP over the years. UP is a major producer of horticultural produce such as potato, pea, mango, watermelon, amla, etc. Although it accounts for a large proportion of food grain production, the state lags behind in terms of agricultural productivity. Besides, farmers end up receiving low prices for their produce and this implies low income from farming activities.