Regional History Project Oral Histories

Godfrey Kasozi was born in 1970 in Karusandara, a small village in Uganda. He lives in the town of Kasese in western Uganda, just outside of Rwenzori Mountains National Park. He studied agriculture at a university in Uganda. In 1997, he founded the Centre for Environmental Technology and Rural Development (CETRUD) in western Uganda, which is working to create a more sustainable economy and environment within the country. In search of practical training in organic farming methods that he could use at CETRUD, Kasozi came to UC Santa Cruz in 1999 as an apprentice with the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems program. There he received valuable skills, returning to Uganda to establish a demonstration garden, and training programs in sustainable agriculture, nutrition, seed distribution, animal husbandry, and the use of traditional herbs and medicinal plants. Ellen Farmer interviewed Kasozi at her house in Santa Cruz, California on July 30, 2007, when he was in Santa Cruz speaking at the 40th anniversary (“Back 40”) celebration for CASFS.