Table 3.

Examples of ways that the dimensions of soil security link to human health. Some of the dimensions are interconnected. The examples are based on Brevik et al. (2017).

Dimension of Soil Security	Links to Human Health
1: Capability	Production of plentiful food
	Ability to pass essential nutrients up the food web
	Waste filtration function of soils, particularly in the supply of clean water
2: Condition	Ability to pass essential nutrients up the food web
	Presence or absence of potentially harmful chemicals or organisms
3: Capital	Ecosystem services that support human health have value
	Soil conditions that negatively influence human health have a cost
	Medicines developed from soils or soil organisms have economic value and save money when they shorten or prevent illness
4: Connectivity	The value that society places on soils influences how soils are managed or treated, which in turn influences soil condition
	The terroir concept provides an example of a way to connect people to the soils that produce their food and encourage a more positive image of soil and better management
	Contact with healthy soil has been shown to have potential human health benefits
5: Codification	Government sponsored conservation programs can improve soil and water quality, leading to human health benefits
	Non-binding initiatives such as the United Nations proposed Sustainable Development Goals can positively influence soil and water quality and thus human health through capability and condition