Groundnuts are an important crop for Ugandan smallholders because they are high in protein, resupply nutrients to the soil, and are a storable source of wealth once dried. Adoption of virus-resistant seeds that increase yield and reduce yield variance may improve household food security, but the complex relationship is an empirical question. This article considers the effect of improved groundnut seed on smallholder food security in eastern Uganda. Results indicate that adopters have significantly higher household food security after controlling for observed and unobserved household heterogeneity. The food consumption score index increases more than 15 points with improved seed adoption.

Investigations on storage insects infesting stored groundnuts was carried out in farms, markets, stores and out-door storage sites in order to find out the source of infestation. Farm samples were found to be free from infestation. Freshly harvested groundnuts that were just stacked into pyramids were also free from infestation. However, groundnuts stacked into pyramids at central storage areas of Kano and Gusau were highly infested following a year of storage. Groundnuts from stores and markets were moderately infested. The most abundant and widely distributed insect pests were Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and Oryzaephilus mercator (Fauvel). Ephestia cautella (Wlk.) constituted less than 1% of insect pests found on the groundnuts, but Plodia interpunctella (Herbst) was absent in out-door pyramid storage.

Groundnuts kept in in-door storage had high moisture content, while nuts from farm and open air pyramid storage had low moisture content. Lipid, peroxide and free fatty acid (F.F.A) values from groundnuts were directly related to the levels of infestation.