Objective This study is aimed to find out the status of non-grain production of cultivated land in important river basins, and to provide the basis for realizing the efficient use of regional cultivated land and ensuring food security.

Method Spatial correlation analysis and hot spot analysis were used to identify the characteristics of non-grain production of cultivated land in the Anning River Basin of Sichuan Province from 2001 to 2021, and econometric models were built to explore the driving factors.

Result ① The non-grain rate of cultivated land in Anning River Basin of Sichuan Province generally showed a downward trend from 2001 to 2021, and the differentiated degree showed a trend of "decreasing → increasing", and there was a positive skew distribution, and the distribution was relatively uniform. ② The spatial difference of non-grain production was obvious, showing a spatial pattern of high in Panzhihua section and low in Liangshanzhou section. The spatial trend of non-grain rate was west high and east low, south high and north low. In general, the middle part of Liangshanzhou section was the low value center, spreading to the north and south, and showing a trend of evolution from low value area to high value area. ③ The spatial hotspot state of non-grain rate of cultivated land in Anning River Basin of Sichuan Province changed from "hot spots in the north, no significant in the middle, and cold spots in the south" to "single hot spots in the north, no significant in the other districts and counties", and Mianning County was always in a hot spot state. ④ Non-grain rate of cultivated land is affected by factors such as cultivated land area, grain yield per unit area, urbanization rate, total output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery, per capita net income of rural residents, total power of agricultural machinery per land, per capita cultivated land area, agricultural employees, and GDP. However, there are differences among different regions of the basin.

Conclusion The Anning River Basin of Sichuan Province should focus on the new agricultural management subjects, implement the hard measures of cultivated land protection, strengthen the agricultural technology research, optimize the spatial pattern of the basin, so as to strictly control non-grain growth and stabilize the cornerstone of regional food security.