A List of Rural Skills

I would like input from all the knowledge here, please.

What would go on a list of rural skills? How would one learn them? Are they already listed here in one place?

#1 thing I would have to say is adaptability and ability to make do with what you got.

Rural folks tend to be famous for MacGyvering things to get stuff done. Are there better more elegant ways? Often times yes, but sometimes you just don't have the time or money to go get those other things to do it the "proper" way. So you look around your place and see what you have and figure out a way to make that work.

As for learning,

Hanging out with some of the old time rural folks is a huge font of knowledge. Volunteering to help some old timer out can give you a wealth of info as well as seeing how they trouble shoot and figure out unconventional things.

The Internet is always a good option of course.

Lots of good books as well.

The Foxfire series of books is one of the best writings on how things were done long ago in rural Appalachia. Great how to on the old ways of living and old time needs.... Especially the first 4-5 books...

teresa quintero wrote:I would like input from all the knowledge here, please.

What would go on a list of rural skills? How would one learn them? Are they already listed here in one place?

Perhaps if you can tell us why you're asking we can address this in a bit more detail. Otherwise its a bit like asking "what skills do I need to be a doctor?"

How to build a house and other buildings
How to have a good first aid kit or supplies
How to get water [dig a well, build rain catchment]
How to build fences
How to buy animals, which breeds are best for the locale, how to pick a healthy animal
How to raise animals
How to doctor animal
How to grow a garden
How to slaughter animals
How to cook food
How to salt cure, smoke and other ways to cure meat
How to can and ferment vegetables

I am sure this is just a small list of knowledge that would help a homesteader or anyone living in a rural area.

Permaculture design.   https://permies.com/f/123/permaculture-design

One really good rural skill is being a good neighbor.  

One huge rural skill I see is "self-sufficiency" would about define it.  Being knowledgeable on all the things you might need.   "Specialization" that we see in cities/urban areas means, when something breaks, you take it to a guy who does THAT.

I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one who saw the term as vague. It was in an ad for:

We are seeking people who have some garden and animal experience as well some basic rural living skills. We are asking for 8 hours of work per week and depending on how many people are here 3-4 days every other week on chores + occasional caretaking when we go away. If people have strong interest in the garden and its products, we might ask people to put in another 4-6 hours a week during the growing season. We have laying chickens, turkeys, a milk, meat and pack goat herd of about7-10 (usually no more than 2 milking does) and ducks.

We are looking for people who have some country living and garden skills, are emotionally mature, easy going and good communicators. A good fit for us would be someone who loves to garden and enjoys spending time working with animals and appreciates animal products.

I had a bit of an idea, but knew there were things I may not have considered that would be needed. Maybe what is listed is all I would need to know, then again maybe there are things they didn't think to include but assumed would be known.  If it's "learn as you go", that would be cool, but covering all the bases possible would be best.

Thanks for all the responses so far.

... some basic rural living skills.  ... We are looking for people who have some country living and garden skills

What they may be trying to communicate is that they are in a rural country setting ....  No restaurants, no nightlife, none of the things that city folks are used to.  In the past they may have had people come to work for them that became bored and left because they couldn't offer what they were used to.  Living in a rural setting takes time to get used to.

I was thinking that there was a thread here that discussed the advantages/disadvantages of rural life but I haven't found it.

"some basic rural living skills" in this context probably means things like being able to cook from scratch, use a shovel and a hoe, maybe milk a goat (certainly be able to tell a buck from a doe ).  They are not looking for someone who has all of the skills that might be useful for rural life - no one person really has all of them.  

Just off the top of my head - basic woodworking, metal working to include welding, small engine maintenance and repair, vehicle maintenance and repair, knot tying, cooking, first aid, slaughtering and butchering, animal husbandry, plumbing, electrical wiring, tool sharpening, meteorology, plant identification and care.

Lots more, someone earlier pointed to the permaculture manual as a guide to "rural skills", I think - it certainly lays out quite a few useful things, but it also leaves an enormous list of skills unspecified and rather presumed.  But really, it's a pointless exercise to try and list them all Just try to accumulate all the skills you can.

Something the ad does not say is what they are offering in the way of room and board.  Are they offering a room with homecooked meals or is the person they are looking for expected to stay in their own tent and cook their own meals?  This last scenario adds more rural skills needed.