Abstract:Reclaiming cultivated land that has been converted to forest or orchard is a key measure for implementing the national "large-scale requisition-compensation" strategy and ensuring food security. Taking Ruijin City, Jiangxi Province as a case study, a "terrain gradient-cultivated land quality" coupling model was constructed, the terrain comprehensive index (TCI) was integrated with the CRITIC-TOPSIS method, and the reclamation potential of cultivated land converted to forest or orchard was systematically evaluated, thereby formulating a zoning optimization strategy. The results showed that from 2009 to 2023, the total area of cultivated land converted to forest or orchard in Ruijin City reached 6,495.67 hm2, accounting for 19.81% of the total cultivated land. Among this, 3,984.75 hm2 (12.15%) were converted to orchard and 2,510.92 hm2 (7.66%) to forest, with a spatial distribution characterized by "central agglomeration and a south-high, north-low" pattern. The terrain gradient zoning showed that the converted land was concentrated in the valley plain and low hilly areas, with areas of 3,250.39 hm2 (50.04%) and 2,645.47 hm2 (40.73%), respectively. The area in the medium-mountain steep slope zone was only 17.37 hm2 (0.26%). The cultivated land quality evaluation results showed that the area of high-quality (grades Ⅰ~Ⅲ) cultivated land converted to forest or orchard was 5,210.61 hm2, accounting for 80.22% of the total converted area, highlighting the serious threat that the loss of cultivated land resources posed to food security. Based on GIS spatial overlay and a restoration potential matrix, the converted land was classified into priority reclamation areas (5,220.41 hm2, 80.37%), conditional reclamation areas (448.50 hm2, 6.90%), and restricted reclamation areas (826.76 hm2,12.73%). A hierarchical management strategy was proposed: mechanized reclamation in plains, terracing in hilly areas, and ecological conservation on steep slopes. These findings can provide a scientific paradigm for resolving the cropland-forest-orchard spatial conflict and implementing the storing grain in the land strategy in the hilly and mountainous areas of southern China, offering important practical value for safeguarding cultivated land productivity.