In view of rapid crop change in agricultural system, we develop a conceptual framework of cropping landscape ecology to solve the complex interaction between human and agricultural land system, and maintain the urgently demand for food security. Frist, we analyze the hierarchical cropping landscape of agricultural system and spatial mechanism of human-land interaction, which may provide theoretical basis for agricultural sustainable development. The hierarchical level of cropping landscape can be divided into five levels. It is agricultural region, agricultural landscape, agri-ecosystem, farmland patches, and crops, which corresponding to landscape pattern, ecological process, ecosystem services, agricultural management policy and scale. We also summarize the difference between agricultural landscape and cropping landscape, and figure out that cropping landscape has the characteristics of high dynamic and complex pattern in different scales. Then, we design the framework of cropping landscape ecology research, which needs to consider the different agents of famer, consumers, cultivated land and its surroundings. It is suggested to follow the corresponding principles of landscape ecology and agricultural development. The framework can be composed by three parts, the cropping landscape pattern, the social-ecological effect of cropping pattern changes and the landscape ecological approach of agricultural sustainability. Cropping landscape pattern research describes the spatiotemporal pattern and driving mechanism of crop types change, identifies the key socio-economic factors, and understands the relationship between crop pattern and process. The social-ecological effect of crops includes its ecological process, resource environmental effect and crop diversity effect. Based on the scientific paradigm of landscape ecology, the sustainable cropping landscape regulation can be assigned in cropping landscape pattern-ecological process-ecosystem services-crop management-crop system sustainability. Moreover, four aspects are figure out future research, namely spatiotemporal dynamics of cropping landscape and its driving forces, multi-functional agricultural landscape, landscape agronomic management, and agricultural sustainability evaluation approaches. The crop pattern is the premise of relevant research. The multi-functional assessment and trade-off of cropping system are the basis to guide the policy of crop diversity and landscape agronomy management. Landscape agronomy and scenario simulation are the basis for policy makers and farmers to change copping pattern and function. The sustainable assessment is based on the cropping pattern, process and ecosystem service to formulate the approach and design to evaluate the agricultural sustainability. In general, this study tries to design a sustainable landscape approach to serve the regulation of crop pattern. Cropping landscape ecology can be constructed to provide a comprehensive analysis and management approaches for agricultural sustainable development, and provide scientific foundation to achieve the agricultural and rural modernization and the improvement of human well-being.