To promote the protection of cultivated land and green and low-carbon development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt， this study employed methods such as the equivalent factor method and the environmental cost method to quantify the ecological service value and negative externalities of cultivated land. By cakulating the ecological footprint and ecological carrying capacity of cultivated land resources， the 11 provinces in the Yangtze River Economic Belt were categorized into surplus areas， balanced areas， and deficit areas. The ecological spillover value of cultivated land was assessed， and its spatiotemporal variation characteristics were explored. The results showed that： Firstly， from 2011 to 2021， the total ecological value of cultivated land in the Yangtze River Economic Belt showed an increasing trend， rising from 367.037 billion yuan to 466.155 billion yuan. The ecological spillover value of cultivated land also gradually increased， from 135.382 billion yuan to 197.077 billion yuan. Secondly， cultivated land resources in the Yangtze River Economic Belt were in a surplus state overall. The ecological value of cultivated land exhibited an “east-low and west-high” pattern. Sichuan had the highest ecological value and surplus quantity of cultivated land， while Shanghai had the lowest ecological value. Thirdly， from 2011 to 2021， the cultivated land ecological values of Zhejiang and Shanghai were deficit， Sichuan was in the ecological high-surplus area， Chongqing and Guizhou were in a balanced state， and Jiangxi， Anhui， and Jiangsu showed no significant changes in the ecological surplus or deficit of cultivated land. Yunnan and Hubei provinces saw an increase in the ecological surplus of cultivated land， while Hunan province experienced a decrease. Based on this， each province in the Yangtze River Economic Belt should make full use of its own resources and advantages， formulate and implement adaptive cultivated land protection strategies， so as to promote the sustainable use of cultivated land resources， and contribute to realize the goal of “ecological priority， green and low-carbon development” in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.