Wind erosion is widespread across arid and semi-arid regions, leading to dust storms and declining soil fertility. Studies have examined wind erosion above sand, gobi, and farmland surfaces. As human development progresses, some sand dunes in northwestern China have been reclaimed for agriculture, introducing new areas susceptible to wind erosion. However, wind erosion processes on the surfaces where sand dunes have been reclaimed remains unclear. To delineate the mechanism of surface wind erosion on reclaimed land and its distinctions from other surfaces, this study assessed wind erosion under field conditions on reclaimed farmland, shifting sand and vegetated dunes by measuring sand transport with sand samplers. ANOVA results indicated significant differences in the vertical aeolian sediment transport rates among farmland, shifting sand, and vegetated sand surfaces (P < 0.05). Our findings show that wind erosion is stronger above reclaimed farmland than vegetated dunes, implying that land reclamation for agriculture intensifies erosion in the Mu Us Desert. Therefore, windbreak or crop stubble retention need to be done to decrease wind erosion above farmland. Horizontal aeolian sediment transport flux above these surfaces follows a Gaussian peak function, facilitating sediment transport to downwind areas. The highest horizontal aeolian sediment transport rate was observed above shifting sand surfaces (23.68 +/- 15.89 kg m(-1) h(-1)), followed by farmland (13.91 +/- 6.38 kg m(-1) h(-1)) and vegetated sand surfaces (1.87 +/- 1.57 kg m(-1) h(-1)). However, vertical aeolian sediment transport rate was highest above farmland (0.94 +/- 0.69 kg m(-1) h(-1)), followed by shifting sand (0.82 +/- 0.53 kg m(-1) h(-1)) and vegetated sand surfaces (0.17 +/- 0.19 kg m(-1) h(-1)). These findings indicate that the farmland is the dominant contributor to dust emissions in the Mu Us Desert, emphasizing its significance in dust flux assessments.