For example, community nurseries, farm forestry and improved stoves can all be activities. Extension generally implies a one-way transfer of knowledge, from outsider to insider. But in a participatory approach, extension is defined as a two-way communication of knowledge. For example an indirect indicator of poverty might be whether a house has a thatch or a tin roof. For example a direct indicator of crop productivity would be measurement of crop yields.
Immediate objectives are often more tangible than overall objectives.
The primary purpose of participation is to encourage community self-determination and thus foster sustainable development. A programme or project can be created and controlled by insiders, or by insiders and outsiders working together.