This study, based on the 2017 multi-regional input-output table of China, constructed an Environmentally Extended Multi-Regional Input-Output (EE-MRIO) model to track the virtual cropland flow paths. It then quantified the value of land ecological products using the equivalent factor method and designed a “Beneficiary Pays” compensation standard. The research findings include: The Huang-Huai-Hai Plain (Henan, Shandong) and the Northeast Plain (Heilongjiang), leveraging their resource endowment advantages and policy support effects, have formed core virtual cropland supply regions; meanwhile, the Huang- Huai-Hai Plain (Henan, Shandong) and the Yangtze River Delta (Jiangsu) have emerged as centers of land resource use due to population concentration and industrial transformation needs. The national net virtual cropland flow shows a “gradient transfer” characteristic, moving from north to south and from west to east, basically adhering to the “proximity effect”. Major grain-producing regions such as Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Inner Mongolia are the main net outflow sources of virtual cropland, while economically developed regions like Guangdong and Zhejiang are the core net inflow destinations. Key path analysis reveals significant transfers of land ecological products along cross-provincial flow chains such as Heilongjiang-Jilin, Inner Mongolia-Shanxi, and Heilongjiang-Zhejiang, highlighting the dependence of developed regions on the land ecological products of major grain-producing areas. By constructing a modified matrix incorporating compensation for land ecological products in each region, the study not only clarifies the accountability for land ecological protection, but also provides a scientifically sound basis for compensation. This opens up a new path for the sustainable utilization of land resources and the harmonious coexistence of economic development.