Giving Compass' Take:

• This post from NextBillion features a product that hopes to solve the problem of preserving food without electricity through a process called "evaporative cooling."

• How can technology like this be scaled to help those who live off the grid? Would it really solve some of our biggest food challenges? Big issues require bold solutions.

• The time is now for innovation: World hunger is on the rise for the third year in a row.

There is a machine that toils away — day and night — taken mostly for granted in many, if not all, of the kitchens of those reading this article. That machine is, of course, the refrigerator. And many who use it underestimate its true importance: Yes, having access to a refrigerator saves money by allowing you to keep leftovers for another meal. But the ability to store fresh food also allows you the latitude to plan meals ahead, and to be flexible about when you want to go shopping. Ultimately, it gives you the freedom to plan your eating around your life – and not the other way around.

However, over 1 billion people on the planet do not have this luxury. The “2018 State of the Global Off-Grid Appliance Report” estimates that 1.28 billion people lack access to any electricity, and an additional 1 billion have access only to an unreliable grid. This lack of refrigeration leads to the exact problems one might expect: wasted food (and money) from spoilage, and loss of income from long hours spent going to and from the market to buy food that can only be kept for a few days at a time ...

With the world’s population set to reach 9 billion by 2050, there is clearly a need for better solutions. That’s why my technology company — Fenik — has developed a new invention which we hope can help at least some of the many people currently living without refrigeration. Named the “Fenik Yuma 60L Cooler,” our device uses a phenomenon called evaporative cooling to chill the unit, thereby tripling or quadrupling the shelf-life of the produce stored inside.

Read the full article about reducing food spoilage without electricity by Quang Truong at NextBillion.