The main grain producing areas are complex areas where natural system and artificial system interact, which can provide various ecosystem services for human production and life. Exploring the intensity and drivers of the role of ecosystem services in different major food-producing areas is essential for the effective management of ecosystem services in major food-producing areas and for human well-being. Based on the measurements of five ecosystem services, namely, water yield, soil conservation, carbon storage, habitat quality and grain productivity from 2000 to 2023, the paper identifies the trade-offs/synergies among ecosystem services by using the correlation coefficient analysis method, and uses the Dynamic Ecosystem Synergistic Trade-off Index (DESTI) to quantify the intensity and direction of trade-offs/synergies among ecosystem services over the past 23 years. The driving mechanism of natural and social factors is explored by using the optimal parameters-based geographic detector (OPGD). The results show that:①Over the past 23 years, the internal grain productivity of the wheat-producing area in North Anhui has increased by 91.97%, while the other ecosystem services have decreased;②The most significant synergistic relationship is between carbon storage service and grain productivity service in the correlation analysis, with the R value increasing from 0.5 in 2000 to 0.61 in 2023, reaching a strong synergistic level;③Spatially, the balance/synergy relationships between ecosystem services show spatial heterogeneity, and the spatial distribution of the balance/synergy relationships between different ecosystem services is significantly affected by the main supporting services.④The intensity of ecosystem service balance/synergy is driven by natural factors (soil erosion power, NDVI), and the interaction between natural and social factors also enhances the spatial differences in balance/synergy. This study can provide scientific reference for the sustainable management and optimization of ecosystem services in North Anhui's grain-producing area, achieving the synergistic development of ecological protection and social and economic development in the region.