In order to provide some preliminary recommendations for the sustainable use and management of croplands, land suitability evaluation for crops was carried out in Shouyang County which partly locates on the Loess Plateau suffering severe soil and water erosion and is characterized by ecological vulnerability and semi-arid climate. Here, land suitability for 4 local crops of maize, wheat, sorghum and millet under 2 cultivation senarios of tradition and mechanization was evaluated by a upscaling approach. The upscaling was implemented in a land form hierarchy which was composed of land unit, land facet and land site at 3 spatial levels. The IAO land suitability evaluation model for crops was revised by applying a meteorological revision index. Rresults showed that a polarized phenomenon occurred, which means that the most suitable class （S1） and the most unsuitable class （N2） were predominant in acreage percentage for all the 4 crops. Maize, millet and wheat were relatively more adaptive to be grown and should be ploughed in the traditional mode. Hence, future cropland use policy should pay more attention to the conversion of arable land to forestland and grassland in unsuitable areas and to more investment for agricultural production in suitable regions, and it is necessary to balance the relationship between the livelihood of local farmers and environmental protection to maintain a healthy and stable ecosystem.
