Cropping practices for dominant rainfed cereals (millet, sorghum, maize) were monitored in two difîerent agro-ecologies: the Cinzana region (700 mm rainfall zone) and the Koutiala region (900 mm rainfall zone). In each site, monitoring involved 5 villages during two consecutive years (2007-2008). A total of750 former fields were measured using 3,000 yield placelets. 30 fam1s per species were involved in each village. Results show that: Regardless of the site, millets and sorghums are the first crop planted, immediately following the first rains. Early planting is done either on residual furrows or with superficial soil scarification. Millet and sorghum sowing dates both span a relatively long period of 60 days in the Cinzana region. In the Koutiala region, sowings last for 60 days in sorghum fields, 30 days on millet, and 20 days for maize. Maize cultivation is mostly present in the Koutiala area where drought risk is lower. Maize is planted later in July after the monsoon is fully established. Millet grain yields are 1,500 kg/ha in the Koutiala area, and 1,300 kg/ha in the Cinzana area. Sorghum grain yields are 2,300 kg/ha in Koutiala and 1,100 kg/ha in Cinzana. The average grain yield for maize in Koutiala is 3,600 kg/ha. There is considerable yield variability around the mean for multiple reasons (sowing date, soil fertility, micro-topography, biotic stresses, rainfall amounts ...). As a consequence, yield prediction using simple models faces considerable challenges. Farmer practices crystallize various local knowledge and guide technical itineraries for each cropping season: soil preparation practices (plowing or simple scarification), planting date (early or delayed), varietal and specific choices (early, intermediate or long duration cycle; millet, sorghum maize). Food security and livelihoods on Sudano-Sahelian farmland are fundamentally detem1ined by the flexibility in cropping systems. Modem production technologies need to incorporate local knowledge to avo