Our Vision
Our vision is for the STAND Center to act as a catalyst for
positive global change through the mediums of interactive
education and the application of sustainable community
development models, as we believe that no revolution can
begin without the model to inspire it, and no real revolution
can last without the understanding and awareness to support it.

We envision an earth covered by stacked poly-culture forests
of food where once only endless fields of mono-cropped beans
and corn stood in bland rows....

Mission Statement
It is our goal to establish ourselves as a unique, not for profit,
demonstration education center designed to inspire, initiate,
and encourage, through active demonstration, sustainable
practices in tropical agriculture, construction, energy
generation, and community development.
STAND Center Founders

Andrea Joy Acker was born in Sarasota, Florida on June 17th, 1982. She grew up
infatuated with nature in all it's many forms so her decision in early 2003 to move with
her new husband, Forest Acker, to Belize was not all that surprising.
Belize, with it's lush tropical rain forests, eccentric tower karst hills, and  rich coastal
habitats, provides innumerable opportunities to explore and interact with the natural
environment. Her passion for Sustainable Development began with her connection to
nature and her desire to be a responsible steward to this beautiful earth. As she
became increasingly aware of the numerous anthropogenic impacts being inflicted upon
the planet, and the ways these impacts have begun to damage the natural homeostasis
of our earth, she felt a mounting pressure to do something concrete about it.
Her decision to move to Belize had been more about the opportunity she saw to create a
subsistence farm with her husband, Forest, in a tropical environment. As she began to
feel this pressure to become a catalyst for positive change and global awareness she
realized that Belize provided the perfect forum for such a venture. She began taking
classes at Galen, a local university which focuses on sustainable development, and
became even more inspired for how a field school and research farm in the rain forest
could help change the world on a grassroots level.
Andrea Joy Acker
Founder of STAND Center
Forest James Acker
Founder of STAND Center
STAND Center is a private research and education farm
located in the foothills of the Maya Mountains of Belize,
C.A. Our primary focus is practicing and promoting
sustainable development, especially in the field of
agriculture; and our aim is to reach out to as many
people as possible both local and international, and
inspire them to live a more sustainable lifestyle.  We
believe that interactive education is the key to
understanding sustainable development, and the need
for it in our world today. This conviction has led to our
choice to leave the comforts of the developed world to
create a sustainable subsistence farm in the Central
American rain forest modeled after the rain forest itself.
In 2005 she began creating the academic components of the
STAND Center as she and her husband Forest continued to
develop the agricultural aspects of the farm. To date, the
STAND Center has been active in promoting environmental
awareness through various outreach programs and will soon
begin our first permaculture program, La Semilla Atentica.
We will also host our first field program this summer. In
September 2006 Andrea organized Love Song to a Planet, a
benefit concert held at Cahal Pech, which raised funds for
the first annual Earthday, a children's environmental
awareness festival which was hosted at Galen University.  
The festival was held in October and the children involved
came away with a greater understanding of the value of the
rain forests. This was a tremendous inspiration and it is our
goal to do an even more expansive festival next year.
Andrea is also an Acoustic Environmental and Humanitarian
Awareness Artist. She writes and performs her music with the
goal of opening hearts and minds to the sacred opportunity
we all share to be stewards to all life on our planet.
Forest James Acker was born in the rolling hills of Appalachia
on August 31st, 1978. Whether his love of the temperate rain
forests that carpet these hills was born of his name or his name
was aptly chosen, it seems clear that his name fits. He grew up
on a sheep farm and loved to spend his free time ambling the
rivers and creeks proudly bringing home stringers of fish for
mom to cook up. His parents encouraged his love and
exploration of nature and so it was only natural that as an adult
he chose to pursue his simple dream of subsistence farming.
As a young man Forest trained under the legendary Eustace
Conway and worked at several Primitive Skill summer programs
like SiIverwater Retreat. As a result he honed his Earth skills
and his desire to teach and share this ancient knowledge. He
has particular expertise in the realms of botany and flint
knapping. After meeting Andrea and falling in love they
journeyed together to Belize for a vacation and when they
decided to marry and begin a family, Belize seemed to them to
be a wonderful starting point, Neither one of them had ever
cared much for the harsh winters of western North Carolina and
yet it was difficult for both of them to leave their home and
families. But following a dream is an all-consuming adventure
and they could hardly help but to be swept away in their mutual
passion.
Forest's background in farming served them well in establishing
a farm in the rain forest. This was a tenacious undertaking and
Forest and Andrea worked hard enduring the heat and insect
life that would have hampered other, more timid souls.
They discovered the site for their farm through
Andrea's Old Order Mennonite relatives, who had
settled in Belize over 50 years ago. Towering
majestic trees, a cool clear spring pool, and a
breathtaking waterfall made the enchanting site
seem perfect for their farm, and it was.
Over the next few years they worked together to
make a life for themselves in this wonderland of
biodiversity. After reading Charles Mann's 1491,
Forest became inspired to create Terra Preta at
the STAND Center by utilizing the natural
industrial waste available at the nearby lime
burning facilities. They quickly realized what an
revolutionary process they had discovered.
Their daughter, Christa Rose, was born on July
9th, 2004 and has grown up on this amazing
farm. Their son, Forest James River Acker was
born August 16th, 2007.  The farm and family
continue to grow and with it, their dreams for how
this tiny little farm may one day emerge from the
rain forests of Central America to spread it's
sweet fruit across the globe.

Christa Rose Acker -
July 9th, 2004

Christa and Baby Forest-
August 2007

Forest James River Acker-
August 16th, 2007

Andrea and
Forest James
River -
August 2007