Through the Small Irrigation Program, which has been operating in Dhankuta Municipality for the past seven years, irrigation facilities have been expanded year-round to 391 hectares (7,820 ropani) of arable land.

Since fiscal year 2076/77, 30 small irrigation projects have been constructed and upgraded in various wards of the municipality under this program. According to Dhankuta Municipality, the program, implemented at a cost of approximately 88.2 million rupees, has directly benefited 979 households.

Under the program, 43 kilometers of irrigation canals have been constructed and upgraded. The municipality stated that this has provided a foundation for farmers, who were previously limited to farming only during the rainy season, to cultivate crops throughout the year.
The Small Irrigation Program was operated through cost-sharing among the federal government, Koshi Province government, Dhankuta Municipality, the Swiss government, and local consumers.

Sitaram Gautam, Chief of the Administration, Planning, and Monitoring Division of Dhankuta Municipality, said that the program aims to provide reliable irrigation facilities to small and medium farmers, increase agricultural production, contribute to food security, and raise farmers' incomes.

Gautam stated that farmers who previously struggled to produce more than one crop per year due to insufficient irrigation facilities have now received relief. Farmers had also faced problems such as arable land remaining fallow and increased production costs. The municipality claims that these problems have gradually been resolved following the construction of irrigation infrastructure through the program.

With the expansion of irrigation facilities, farmers have started producing vegetables, fruits, maize, rice, and other cash crops year-round. Along with diversification in farming systems, farmers' interest in commercial agriculture has increased. It has been reported that with the rise in production and productivity, the availability of fresh agricultural produce in the local market has increased, and farmers' incomes have also been positively impacted.

Chintan Tamang, Chief of Dhankuta Municipality, said that the Small Irrigation Program has made a significant contribution to the development of the municipality's agricultural sector. According to him, after the provision of irrigation facilities, the utilization of arable land has increased, production has risen, and improvements have begun to be seen in the economic status of farmers. He stated that even though the program has been completed, the municipality will facilitate the protection, maintenance, and sustainable management of the constructed irrigation structures as necessary.

Arrangements have been made for the operation and management of the irrigation projects constructed during the program through local consumer committees. Chief Tamang said that the participation of local labor and investment has increased a sense of ownership towards the constructed structures and made it easier to use them for the long term.