These works have been carried out in the context of the World Social Forum (WSF) and other related Forums or Conferences. Thus it is noteworthy that the substance of the Notebook of Propositions on Agrarian Reforms and Land Policies has been largely elaborated during the two-days workshop organized during the World Forum of Porto Alegre in 2001 by the APM networks, the IRAM, and the Brazilian farmers confederation (CONTAG) .

During the World Forum on Food Sovereignty in The Havana in September 2001, the Notebook preliminary proposals have been first introduced in public. Thereafter, these preliminary proposals have been discussed further during a workshop organized together with the APM networks and the VIA CAMPESINA in the context of the World Social Forum of Porto Alegre in 2002.

The Notebooks on water, land policies, and traditional fishing constituted the basis of the presentations made by Larbi Bouguerra, Michel Merlet, and Pedro Avendaño during the Panel for the right to access to water, food and land, organised during the WSF in 2003.

But the idea to create the association AGTER really came out during a workshop which purpose was to draw the lessons learned from these experiences. During this same workshop Vicent Garces, from the Spanish NGO CERAI, first raised the idea to organize a world forum on the Agrarian Reform in Spain.

Larbi Bouguerras, Michel Merlet, Pedro Avendaños and Vicent Garces are founding members of AGTER. Several other members of AGTER largely contributed to the success of these activities: Dennis Pommier, Pierre Vuarin, Françoise Macé, as well as professors Marcel Mazoyer, Dao the Tuan, and Jacques Chonchol.