Abstract: Background The Northeast Black Soil Region is one of China’s most important grain-producing areas, contributing significantly to national food security and long-term agricultural sustainability. In recent decades, accelerated gully erosion has emerged as a major form of land degradation in this region, driven by the interaction of intense rainfall events, inappropriate land-use practices, and long-term intensive cultivation, as well as increasing climate variability. Gully erosion leads to substantial loss of fertile black soil, fragmentation of cultivated land, disruption of hydrological connectivity, and deterioration of agricultural infrastructure, posing serious challenges to farmland sustainability and agroecosystem stability. Jilin Province, located in the core of the region, is particularly affected, with approximately 142,600 gullies recorded, accounting for 21.39% of the total gully population in the Northeast black soil region. Development-type gullies in cultivated land exhibit rapid headward retreat, continuous deepening and widening, and strong coupling with surface runoff, significantly increasing management difficulty and control pressure. These conditions underscore the urgent need for systematic, region-specific, and technically feasible gully erosion control strategies under changing climatic conditions. Methods This study integrates large-scale gully census data from Jilin Province with field-based observations from representative gully control projects and long-term monitoring data. Spatial distribution, morphological characteristics, and developmental stages of gullies were analyzed, with particular focus on development-type gullies within cultivated lands. Engineering, biological, and integrated control measures from existing projects were evaluated to identify practical performance, functional mechanisms, and key constraints. Based on a synthesis of census analysis and field evidence, gully control principles were formulated considering gully morphology, topography, and land-use patterns. Subsequently, six typical gully control models were developed, and a suitability-based allocation strategy for differential implementation of technical measures was proposed, forming a comprehensive, operable technical framework linking terrain attributes with gully development status and management objectives. Results Six fundamental principles for gully erosion control were identified: planning-oriented guidance, coordinated implementation, systematic treatment, ecological prioritization, integrated control of gully beds and slopes, and combined interception and drainage of surface runoff. Correspondingly, six typical control models were established: comprehensive treatment, protection and restoration, gully stabilization and bank protection, coordinated main–tributary gully management, runoff drainage and diversion, and agroforestry-oriented development models. A technical system integrating gully head protection, gully bed regulation, gully slope stabilization, surface runoff regulation, vegetation restoration, and auxiliary supporting works was developed, with improved adaptability to varying geomorphic conditions. Each component’s structural characteristics, functional roles, and layout requirements were clearly defined, providing practical guidance for field implementation and regional-scale application. Conclusions The proposed gully erosion control principles, models, and technical framework are well aligned with the spatial distribution, morphological characteristics, and development patterns of gullies in Jilin Province. The study offers a systematic and regionally adaptable approach for controlling development-type gullies and provides practical technical support for large-scale erosion management in the Northeast Black Soil Region. These findings contribute to the scientific basis for black soil protection programs and have important implications for enhancing soil and water conservation capacity, improving land-use efficiency, strengthening ecosystem resilience, and promoting sustainable management of agricultural landscapes in Northeast China.