The aim of the paper is to present opinions and perceptions of the benefits of urban and peri- -urban (UPA) agriculture among inhabitants of Polish metropolitan areas (MA). The paper is based on a survey conducted among 512 inhabitants of Polish metropolitan areas. The research has shown that the concept of urban agriculture is relatively little known in Poland, and inhabitants are quite sceptical about the benefits generated by agriculture in metropolitan areas. A relatively low acceptance of agricultural functions was mainly expressed by inhabitants of MA’s cores, and the further away from the core, the more highly they were rated. Significant social, environmental and economic importance was attributed to agriculture mostly by inhabitants of rural municipalities located further away from the MA core.