Cecilia Ruben addresses the seminar in Patna on Wednesday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Nov. 30: The state government would adopt the idea of applying humanure in agriculture, a popular concept in western countries, for better yield.

Humanure is the application of human waste products as fertilisers in agriculture. Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), a Sweden-based institute that would start the pilot project of application of humanure by December, is already involved in a sanitation research project in the state.

As part of the project, SEI, in collaboration with Wash Institute, is doing a research on sustainable sanitation in flood-prone areas of Bihar. After the project is completed, SEI would promote the concept of ecological sanitation (Ecosan) in Bihar as its next mission. Ecosan enables complete recovery of all nutrients from faeces and urine to benefit agriculture.

Cecilia Ruben, research fellow and communication and networking manager of the Ecosan programme, confirmed the development to The Telegraph today.

Ruben was in the city to attend a seminar on “Arguments, processes and technologies for establishing alternative and sustainable drinking water and sanitation security in flood-prone areas of north Bihar” at a city hotel. The seminar was organised by Advanced Centre for Water Resources Development and Management.

Ruben said: “Unicef in collaboration with SEI had started a Ecosan promotion programme which was scheduled to be carried out between 2007 and 2010. In this programme, various pilot projects were launched in India and the programme got a good response.”

“After our sanitation-based research in Bihar is complete, we would start promoting ecological sanitation programme in Bihar by December,” Ruben said.

With the help of a video presentation, Ruben also showed urine-fertilised cabbage, cashew nuts and maize.

Megh Pyne Abhiyan, a campaign related to drinking water, sanitation and alternative farm-based livelihood in Bihar, was also discussed during the conclave.

The campaign is being carried out in Supaul, Saharsa, Khagaria, Madhubani and West Cham- paran districts.