Most lending products used by micro-finance institutions do not necessarily meet the requirements of borrowers they are meant to serve, leading to high default and dropout rates. Considering constraints that face small farmers, e.g. their inability to access formal credit, the high transaction costs of serving the sector and the seasonal nature of agriculture, it is important to design products that could be safe for the institution and still satisfy the client. Such products ought to accommodate their inability to present collateral and the diverse nature of their incomes. The Wye/Land Bank project aims to co-operate with three financial institutions in South Africa that lend to small-scale farmers, using market research to inform product development.