The resources that shape our environment, including soils, play an immense role in determining our health. Yet, not much attention has been given to the study of the soil–human health nexus. In this dissertation, we address this research deficiency by conducting a cross sectional observational multi-study on the soil and human mineral interlinkages of rural subsistence female tribal farmers in Jharkhand, India. We conducted a survey and collected soil, rice (staple crop) and human hair samples (as bio-indicator of human mineral status) from 43 rice fields spanning seven districts in Jharkhand, and analyzed them for mineral content in addition to soil physical and biological health indicators (in the case of soil samples) and the antinutrient phytate content (in the case of rice). Chapter 1 provides a comprehensive literature review of 24 mineral elements and presents their critical levels and reference ranges in soil, rice and human hair. It highlights the varying degrees of essentiality and toxicity to plants and humans, which are oftentimes contested within the scientific community, as well as varying beneficial and detrimental impacts on critical processes that impact plant and animal/human health. Chapter 2 conducts an analysis on the effects of geo-environmental, socio-demographic and lifestyle effects of rural Jharkhand, Indian women-farmers on their mineral nutrition. The results of this chapter showed that differences in mineral composition in hair is the result of a combination of inherent and anthropogenic effects, and that a myriad of these factors influence the nutritive health of humans. Chapter 3 characterizes the soil health as well as mineral status of the soil, rice and human hair in Jharkhand, India and assesses their interlinkages. This chapter showed that some soil health indicators are significantly correlated with rice and human mineral status, and that relations among minerals are mostly cross-correlations with few connecting the same minerals along the soil-rice-hair nexus. In general, this dissertation underscores the extent to which humans are nutritionally tied to their land, but that the nature of these interlinkages are highly complex and involve a network of indirect and direct associations. ____ _______ ____ ____ _______ ___ __ ___ _______ _____ ______ __ _____ _____. ___ ____ __ ___ _____ ______ __ ________ ______ _______ ___ ______ ____ ______. __ ___ ________ _____ ___ _____ ______ __ ____ _____ ______ _____ ______ ______ ___ _____ _______ ___ ______ ________ ______ __ _________ ________ ________ _______ ____ __ _______ _______ __ _____ ________ . ___ ______ _____ ______ _____ __ _______ ___ _____ ( _) ___ ___ ____ ( ____ _____ _______ __ ___ _____) __ 43 _____ __ ____ _____ ____ ___ ___ _______ __ _____ ________ ________ _____ ________ ______ _______ ________ ________ ___ ______ ___ ______ __________ ___________ ( ____ _____ ___) _____ _____ _______ ______ ________ ( ____ _____). _____ _____ _____ ______ _____ ________ __ 24 ______ _______ _____ _________ ______ _________ ________ __ ______ ______ ____ ________ ___ ____ _____ ___ _____ _______ __ _______ _______ ________ _______ _____ ______ __ ___ _______ _____ ____ _______ _______ ________ ___ ______ ______ _______ _______ ___ ________ ______ ____ ____ ___ ___ ______ ________ ________. ______ _____ ______ _______ _________ __________ ___________ _____________ ____ ______ ____ ________ __________ ________ ___ _______ __ _______. ___ _____ _____ ___ _____ __ __________ __ _______ _______ __ _____ _____ __ ____ __ _________ ________ ________ _______ ___ _____ __ ____ __ ___ _______ ____ ___ _____ ________ _______. ____ _____ ______ ___ ______ _____ ______ ________ ______ ______ ____ _______ __ ________ _____ _______ _____. ___ ____ ___ _____ __ ___ ______ ___ ______ _____ ________ ______ _____ _____ _____ _______ __ ___ ________ ___ ________ ___ _______ __ __ ______ ______ ________ __ ____ ____ __ ________ ______ ____ ____ ___ ______ ___ ___ ____ ______ ______ ______. ____ ____ ____ ___ ________ ___ ______ _____ _______ _______ ____ _____ ___ _______ _____ ______ ______ ___ ____ __ __________ ___ ________ _________.