When a guy found his cauliflower had been stolen, he went and planted a surprise for the thief. Yo Han Scott, a retired policeman from Heidelberg, South Africa, had a shock when he got out of bed one morning. Scott discovered that someone had broken into his property while he was asleep. The thief had stolen some vegetables, including a cauliflower from his kitchen garden. Rather than getting the authorities involved though, Scott decided to take matters into his own hands. But he didn't arm himself and hunt down the thieves like a vigilante. Instead he grabbed a shovel and took a more novel approach. Scott had enjoyed a long and successful career with the police working to make his part of South Africa a safer place. And although he's proud of his service, the 62-year-old knows that there's still a lot of work to do. Scott has also noticed that there are a lot of people going hungry in his neck of the woods. To put it another way, he was unhappy but not surprised to discover the theft of his vegetables. According to one study in South Africa, over a quarter of the population have experienced difficulties obtaining food. Additionally, at least 7 million people are thought to go hungry on a regular basis. The issue has become a national concern, with several politicians talking about the plight of the hungry. Unfortunately, such is the size of the country and the scale of the problem that solutions haven't been easy to implement. Consequently, Scott decided to treat the vegetable thief as a call to action. First, he dug up the sidewalk outside his own property to create a new vegetable patch. Then he planted all sorts of items, including tomatoes, eggplants, and beans. The most unique thing about the garden, though, is not what's grown there. It's that Scott has offered his produce to anyone who wants to come and pick it. By all accounts, it's been a good summer in the region, with plenty of rain. Come the festive season, then, there ought to be plenty of produce to share among the hungry people of Scott's neighborhood. In view of South Africa's hunger problems, this retiree has performed a remarkable act of kindness. It warms my heart when people eat my vegetables, Scott said. That's why I planted this garden, because the people are hungry, they need this. News of his generosity quickly spread on social media, where users were vocal in their support and admiration. One user wrote, Indeed, Johann Scott is a man with a heart of gold, and an example to us all. Another said, Here's to decreasing the number of people who go to bed hungry. Furthermore, several people offered gardening influence or seeds to help Scott's effort. Scott's work in front of his home has proven inspirational in a country where more and more people are creating community gardens. Notably, the news about Scott's efforts reached a man named Cifo Simlane, who lives in Midvale, South of Johannesburg. Simlane wrote on Facebook, My family would like to give land for free, one hectare of agricultural land, to people who would love to farm or start a community garden project. I was inspired by a selfless gentleman, Johann Scott, a retired policeman from Heidelberg. I'm not a farmer Simlane continued, but I would like to see this land used and would like any child, family, church or company that can put their ideas, time, skill, resources to get this going and use this one hectare to plant and feed the hungry. Let's put our money where our mouths are. Scott and Simlane aren't the only ones to try to help feed their communities through vegetable gardens. In fact, one well-known garden in South Africa is run by police officers in Escort about 100 miles northwest of Durban. Although the garden does offer food to the community, this isn't its principal function. In essence, the project seeks to both educate and train Escort's youth. Furthermore, by doing so, police hope that the young people involved will be less likely to commit crime. This includes social crime as well as the theft of food to feed themselves and their families. Captain Nobel Guala of the South African Police Service said, the garden was established in August and is a teaching tool. Youth from Escort are invited to the police station where they're taught how to plant and tend to garden. The aim of this project is to encourage the youth to start their own gardens in their communities. The vegetable garden was conceived and begun by Sergeant Symbongaseni, Angel and Keys. The police woman also goes out into the community in her spare time to teach local people about gardening. Additionally, she encourages people to use leftover household water to grow their own plants. The vegetables are donated to members of the community who visit clinics and need to eat a healthy meal while taking medication. Captain Guala said of the garden, other recipients are households where there's no breadwinner. In Kesey started out with a few packs of seeds she bought herself while it continued. Since then, a local farmer saw the initiative and supplied more seeds, which in Kesey has distributed to schools in the community so that they may start their own gardens. Meanwhile, South Africa's parliament is taking steps to try to alleviate food shortages across the country. Notably, the issue isn't always the amount of food but making sure there's a regular supply in all regions. To this end, the new plan's objective is to increase food production by small holders and household producers. Dr. Sakhani Gomain from the Department of Environmental Affairs said, although the food security is the main objective, profitability is also essential. By marrying the two together then, hopefully hunger will become a thing of the past for the people of South Africa. The efforts of its community farmers will be vital in achieving this. Share this video with your friends below.