The ecological footprint system served as a tool for measuring the relationship between human demand for environmental resources and ecosystem carrying capacity. It provided an intuitive method to quantify complex environmental impacts, revealing regional resource consumption and sustainability status. Based on the footprint family theoretical framework, this study focused on environmental limits for water, soil, nitrogen and carbon, and established their carrying capacity boundaries from an environmental constraint perspective. We developed the agricultural ecological footprint through a localized scheme that incorporated spatial heterogeneity. Finally, we analyzed farmland conversion to non-agricultural uses and resource-environmental loads, employing applying a multidimensional approach to assess agricultural production-environment interactions. The results showed that:(1) From 2015 to 2023, agricultural footprints in Henan Province exhibited a declining trend, with all footprint components decreasing to varying degrees, reflecting progress in green development. However, water resources remained the primary environmental constraint. (2) Provincial agricultural carrying capacity improved, primarily driven by enhanced water and nitrogen capacities. Notably, regional central cities demonstrated a significant decline in agricultural carrying capacity, characterizing urban agriculture patterns, while core agricultural regions in southern Henan maintained sustained growth. (3) Farmland conversion to non-agricultural uses mitigated province-wide, with municipal-level outflow rates concentrated at 5%-7%, particularly in peri-urban built-up zones. (4) The provincial environmental resource load decreased while ecological surplus increased, with nitrogen and carbon loads achieving surplus status, though water resources remained under significant pressure. Zhengzhou and Luoyang exhibited high productive loads, requiring external resource inputs to meet urban development demands, whereas other prefecture-level cities maintained lower loads and retained an ecological niche characterized by agricultural output. This study reveals that unsustainable agricultural practices may trigger long-term ecological crises, while simultaneously demonstrating the effectiveness of policy interventions. Accordingly, we propose the following recommendations: As a vital agricultural production base in China, Henan Province exhibits high dependence on environmental resources. For regions with dominant agricultural production, ecological farming models should be promoted to reduce agricultural pollution, coupled with establishing cross-regional ecological compensation mechanisms to mitigate environmental impacts and enhance ecosystem stability. For urbanized areas with lower agricultural proportions, high-value-added and ecologically integrated development pathways should be adopted, with protective utilization of peri-urban farmland and wetlands to balance urban expansion and agroecological functions. By employing the footprint family framework, we quantitatively analyzed agricultural footprints and environmental carrying capacity in Henan Province, advancing the application of this methodology in systematic green agriculture assessments. However, limitations persist regarding data accuracy and classification inconsistencies, constrained finer-scale analysis. Moreover, traditional analytical approaches fail to adequately capture the lag effects of potential environmental risks in agricultural systems. Future studies should develop more comprehensive frameworks to evaluate human-environment interactions, bridging the gap between theoretical assessments and practical applications for sustainable agricultural management.