The early of 21st century is a key period for China to build up a holistic well2off society and accelerates socialist modernization.As a result,its land demand in economic construction is growing dramatically,bringing about greater pressure and challenges to protection of cultivated.In the situation that the cultivated land is decreasing drastically with each passing day, the protection of cultivated land has becomes a major factor affecting sustainable development of the society of the country.Based on analysis of the changes in cultivated land resources of the country in the period of 1949～2004,and negative impacts of the decrease in cultivated land in recent years,trend of cultivated land in 2020 is predicted by scenario,and strategies for handling properly the relations between the protection of cultivated land and the economy development and between sustainable utilization and protection of the cultivated land.