Canadian Forces strategists believe development rather than combat will ultimately defeat the Taliban.
But constant attacks by the Islamist insurgents continue to disrupt progress and threaten to rupture the support of the Afghan people.
The Canadian government, through the military and the Canadian International Development Agency, has provided millions of dollars to build kilometres of irrigation canals.
This is helping green parts of Kandahar province and it's winning friends.
"Canadians are very helpful. Our irrigation was destroyed by war. With water, we can farm and live again," Amanullah, a tribal elder in the Afghan town of Mayan Joy, told Â鶹´«Ã½.
"They have seen a significant difference for what the Canadian contingency has done since we have been here in the last three months," Bob Wheeler, a member of Kandahar's Provincial Reconstruction Team, told Â鶹´«Ã½.
But progress continues to be hampered by relentless Taliban attacks.
For example, armed men tried to overrun a police checkpoint in the heart of Kandahar City.
Many aid workers remain locked in their offices because the threat of violence and corruption looms too large for them to continue their work.
"Lack of security makes it very difficult for people to be very hopeful," Ragina Hamidi, a spokesperson from Afghans for Civil Society, told Â鶹´«Ã½.
Besides security problems, corruption is also an issue.
Amanullah said thousands of dollars designated for development projects in his village were taken by corrupt government officials.
The Afghan minister in charge of rural development refutes the claims saying talk of corruption within the government is more myth than fact.
"It has become a fashion in this country to talk about corruption. With found reasons are unfounded reasons," Ehsan Zia told Â鶹´«Ã½.
On Monday, Zia announced 62 new projects worth more than US$4 million for Afghanistan's southern provinces.
"Development and security are complementary," Zia said in a statement on Monday.
"Terrorism is actually benefiting from the chronic poverty that prevails in Afghanistan."
According to a 2006-2007 CIDA report, Canada is among the top five bilateral donors for reconstruction and development in Afghanistan.
Canada assumed responsibility of the 260-person Kandahar provincial reconstruction team in August 2005.
CIDA and the Canadian military have completed more than 10,800 development projects in the war-torn country with more than 14,000 more planned.
The Canadian military maintains they are trying to monitor all of the development projects, but fighting with the Taliban takes up their time.
With a report from CTV's Steve Chao
