Ecological footprint theory and model have been applied to calculate the ecological footprint and ecological capacity,according to the investigation on the three natural villages of Zhifanggou watershed in the loess hilly and gully region.Before the implementation of cropland conversion to forest land project,the ecological footprint was 0.991 0 hm²/cap,the ecological capacity was 0.892 6 hm²/cap,and the deficit was 0.098 4 hm²/cap(1999).After the first stage project(2007),the ecological footprint was 1.018 8 hm²/cap,and the ecological capacity and the ecological surplus had reached 1.270 3 and 0.251 5 hm²/cap,respectively.The results indicate that the cropland conversion into forest land project has given rise to sound effects.Meanwhile,the ecological footprint order for the three natural villages did not change,which was unanimous with its regional characters.Ecological agriculture with commodity economy should be developed and the relation between industry and resources should be consolidated in the watershed to realize the sustainable development in the region,according to the development process of the 3 natural villages.